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In recent years there has been a push to end sub-minimum wage jobs. I totally agree that people should be paid a fair wage regardless if one has a disability or not. If the person is able to do the job – with our without supports – that person should be paid at least minimum wage. No argument from me at all on this point.
But, there is also another side of the story that is not heard (or ignored) with regards to employment and those with profound and complex multiple disabilities. This population is often the population that if employed, is employed at a “sub-minimum” or commensurate wage based on productivity at the job.
What is also often missed in this issue is that fact that a job is much more than a paycheck and for a specific segment of our population, this job, even though it pays sub-minimum wage, is much more than a job and money to the people who are actually involved. We cannot lose sight of this fact in the quest “to do the right thing” without understanding the whole situation. Most of these people do receive public benefits already due to the fact that the majority have some sort of intellectual and developmental disability. The wages they earn are not what they live on for food and rent – although every little bit helps because what they receive from public benefits is clearly at poverty level.
Recently, Liz Plank, a video blogger and journalist, recently posted a video titled “Divided States of Minimum Wage” This is a great story about Collette and how she has started her own cookie business and hires other people with disabilities to work in her shop. This is a great story and one of wonderful accomplishment.
It’s a very complex issue though and it does not help that people such as Sarah Launderville, the Executive Director of the Vermont Center for Independent Living. Unfortunately, Ms. Launderville misinterprets the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA – DOL) law and goes on to say that people get paid based on what percentage of disability the person has and goes on to say “so you’re saying you’re half a person.”
There is a public Facebook group called Disability Visibility Project
I posted my concerns regarding this video on the DVP site and was lambasted by others. My comments were major triggers for many people on that site and I was since blocked from the site. While I eventually self-identified as being disabled myself (I am and have even lost a job due to asking for an ADA accommodation) I was repeatedly called out as an ableist and other nasty terms. Even when I asked one person to read what I wrote before swearing at me and making judgments this is the comment I received:
Once labeled – there is no opportunity to clarify since every comment is twisted and misinterpreted. I followed the commenting guidelines more closely than most of those who swore and labeled me – but since I was reported to the moderator, I was blocked from the site (as were a couple of other people who spoke some truth). If you are interested in reading the comments, here is a link to a PDF (DVP Banned Facebook Comments March 2 2018the of the post or you can go to the Facebook page of Disability Visibility Project and read/comment there.
I have made efforts to clarify issues regarding the certificates and advocating for people who chose to work in these types of employment settings. I have attempted to illustrate various types of obstacles that would be difficult to overcome, even with appropriate supports, for many of these same people to work in an integrated employment setting. It’s not as simple as just paying someone minimum wage when one needs intensive supports. There are issues of transportation, funding and training for job coach who needs to be there at all times and issues with personal care assistance (typically job coaches are not able to help with personal care giving) just to start the list.
Another huge issue is the fact that in supported employment for people with intensive support needs, the work hours usually top out at 10 hours a week. Vermont has an average of 8 hours a week and New Hampshire has an average of 11 hours per week. So even though the person earns minimum wage the income earned is minimal.
This then creates another major issue – if the person is now only working 8-11 hours a week, what is that person going to do the rest of the day? While working in a “sheltered workshop” people may receive their physical therapy on site, make and eat their meals, have personal caregivers and peers on site. There are many opportunities to engage with others and be out in the community. When work hours are drastically cut, many people have nothing to do but sit home alone.
How do we progress and move forward? I’ll keep advocating for my son and others and I’m sure I’ll be called more names and blocked from other sites too – but hopefully, someone will read it and understand and help to advocate for those who are not able to advocate for themselves.
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Provides a way to sequentially access elements of collection without exposing its underlying representation.
- Sequential access elements.
Think about this. Every collection could have different logic for storing elements and even different logic to determine sequence.
- Of collection.
What we are iterating through is collection. This could be any collection. All we care about is it is a collection that should allow us to iterate in common way. Thinking about interface implementation? You are right.
- Without exposing its underlying representation.
Collection should give something which will allow us to iterate through – also follows standard. Here we are talking about some separate object which implements concrete implementation. Yes, follow OO standard, create a separate class for this, which is specialized from some generalized mechanism.
Now let's see how many different types we talked about so far. First things first, we need collection(s) or aggregate(s).
So my first class in model:
This aggregate must have some common standard way to return iterating mechanism. When we talk about a standard without common implementation, we would select interface.
So my interface:
Guys, we are talking about some common mechanism all the time. What is this? Let us give some name. For a particular aggregate, I will have a particular mechanism, which allows to iterate through.
Let me call the concrete implementation class:
Should the concrete iterator follow some standard so that we can access it through standard methods and the client will never come to know who did the job. Again standard! Again interface.
Let us put together all of the above. I have some concrete aggregates that implement some common aggregate interface:
I should have a concrete iterator that implements standard iterator interface.
My concrete aggregate should return me a concrete iterator through aggregate interface implementation.
Finally, the client should have access to the following:
- Concrete aggregate
- Aggregate interface
- Iterator interface
Hey! This is not fair. The client is aware of everyone else but concrete iterator. Buddy, that’s what we want. Do you remember the phrase “without exposing its underlying representation”? So let's prepare our complete diagram:
Forward to Method Definitions
Let's go through sequence:
- Client will cast the concrete aggregate-to-aggregate interface to use standard method(s).
- Client will define variable of interface iterator type and set it through some method of aggregate interface. I got a method of aggregate interface:
GetIterator() which returns iterator type.
- Client will write
while loop to iterate. The condition to loop is that the iterator should have next sequence object available. So iterator should have a method called
HasNext() which returns Boolean.
- If next object exist, client needs to get next sequence object as well move iterator pointer to its next at once. Client will call some method named:
MoveNext() which moves sequence of iterator plus one and return next sequent object.
- Use client object.
Finally, I have classes defined with methods as below:
Rules to Follow
- Aggregate interface must have a method that returns iterator interface. This could be named anything. Commonly used names are
- Iterator interface must have a method to go to the next sequence. Typical names are
MoveNext(). This method must return a sequential object and adds sequence with 1.
- Iterator should keep track of position.
- Concrete iterator must take concrete aggregate’s storing way as an argument in the constructor. Storing way could be array arraylist or any complex logic that only the concrete iterator and concrete aggregate may understand.
- Concrete iterator’s constructor should only be accessible from concrete aggregate(s). Make the constructor as project level – “
internal” in C# and “
Friend” in VB.NET.
Any Standard Examples in the Market?
Of course, yes. Let us understand what C# or VB.NET does with collections:
.NET framework has aggregate interface called
IEnumerable and has iterator interface called
IEnumerator. There are some concrete aggregates like
Hashtable. Let us take
Arraylist as our example of concrete aggregate. It implements
Ienumberable interface has a method named
GetEnumerator(). This was our rule #1.
Arraylist has a class named
ArraylistEnumeratorSimple which functions as a concrete iterator for us.
ArraylistEnumeratorSimple class implements
IEnumerator has methods named
Current. .NET Framework has played a little trick here.
MoveNext() method returns
Current provides current object. By doing this, .NET provides extra facility to get the same sequence object again if you want. (Do I really want the same object again? Never, as I have already set to some variable in client code so why should I use
IEnumerator’s current and why not client’s local variable. .NET knows! Anyway, it's better so doesn’t matter. It followed our rule #2 and #3. Rule #3? Internally it keeps track of position which is
private with variable name “
ArraylistEnumeratorSimple is declared as inner class of
ArrayList and its constructor is internal and takes
arraylist itself as parameter. This follows rule #4 and #5.
The only words I may expect now: “What is the use of all these? I never cast my
Ienumerable, never call
GetIterator() method. This is all junk!” Take a chill-pill. Let us write a simple call iterating through
ArrayList in C# or VB.NET:
ArrayList al = new ArrayList();
Foreach(object o in object)
Let us see IL for this(simplified):
IL_0009: callvirt instance class [mscorlib]
IL_000f: br.s IL_001e
IL_0012: callvirt instance object[mscorlib]
IL_0017: call object [mscorlib]
IL_001f: callvirt instance bool [mscorlib]
IL_0024: brtrue.s IL_0011
IL_0026: leave.s IL_003f
Have fun! C# and VB.NET provide little additional facility to developers by giving keyword “
for each” which internally writes the same code.
Where to Use in my Day-to-Day Programming?
- Do you use strongly typed collections in your application? Use this pattern. See the sample code in next section. A typical developer has a confusion whether to subclass
Hashtable or to provide containment. If they provide containment, then it won’t allow you to use
for each. Try it! Let me remind you, it has to cast to
for each loop.
- You can have one concrete iterator for similar type of collections. For example, if you are using
Arraylist as your collection mechanism internally and don’t have any specific logic for sequence, then the same concrete iterator will work for those collections. For example, in the below mentioned example, there is a concrete iterator
BooksEnumerator, rather name it as
CommonArraylistEnumerator and use it from
Racks … all collections which internally use
Public Class Book
Private mName As String
Public Sub New(ByVal bookName As String)
mName = bookName
Public Property Name() As String
Set(ByVal Value As String)
mName = Value
Public Class Books
Private mList As New ArrayList
Public Sub Add(ByVal bk As Book)
Default Public ReadOnly Property List(ByVal index As Integer) As Book
Return DirectCast(mList(index), Book)
Public Function GetEnumerator() As System.Collections.IEnumerator _
Return New BooksEnumerator(mList)
Private index As Integer = -1
Private mList As ArrayList
Friend Sub New(ByVal list As ArrayList)
mList = list
Public ReadOnly Property Current() As Object _
Public Function MoveNext() As Boolean _
If index < mList.Count - 1 Then
index += 1
Public Sub Reset() Implements System.Collections.IEnumerator.Reset
index = 0
- 6th September, 2005: Initial post
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“The Morean has survived and thrived in this community for a century because it is a scrappy, risk-taking organization that adapts quickly to changing culture and the needs of the people we serve, all with a passion for art and a desire to share that passion with others.”
The Morean Arts Center, the first art gallery south of Atlanta, is turning 100! Drawing inspiration from the past 100 years, the Morean has created and enhanced a variety of offerings to the community in the form of master artist workshops, elevated events, classes in a variety of mediums, hands-on programs and the opening of the new garden space at the Chihuly Collection now located at 720 Central Avenue.
Chihuly Collection and Morean Glass Studio & Hot Shop
The Collection boasts the return of the theater as well as an outdoor garden space set to open in early 2017. Included in the new space is also a temporary exhibition space to host rotating exhibits perfect for work from glass artists around the country. Admission also includes a demonstration at the Morean Glass Studio & Hot Shop directly across the street where visitors can witness a live glass-blowing demonstration conducted by local artists.
To purchase tickets to experience the Chihuly Collection in its new location, please click HERE.
To celebrate the artists who created the foundation of the Arts Center, master artist workshops were developed in 2016 and launched in 2017 to welcome back notable artists who have made an impact on the Morean and patrons alike. Some of these artists, including Sam Abell, Tom McCarthy and Joe Pintz, are bringing their talent back to the Morean to connect with old and new faces and help foster growth of the education program.
In addition to the happenings in our education department, the Morean Arts Center has taken its beloved annual events and elevated them to reflect the 100th Anniversary. These events include Cocktails at the Collection, Night Blow at the Hot Shop, 100th Birthday Party: 7th Annual Great St. Pete Cupcake Contest and Eat Rich, Play Dirty.
The making of exhibitions at the Morean Arts Center and Morean Center for Clay is an important component of enticing returning guests. In 2017, the Morean is hosting special exhibitions to highlight art and artists both new and returning. Kicking off the 100th Anniversary in exhibitions is Major Mud 3 and The Journey: Photographs Along the Way, juried by Sam Abell. Sam Abell, known for his work with National Geographic, chose 32 pieces out of almost 400 to be displayed in the first exhibit of 2017. The work focuses not on the destination of a journey, but how you get there — A beautiful linkage to the Morean’s journey to 100 years and the milestones accomplished and surpassed throughout the century.
Morean Center for Clay
The Morean Center for Clay, located at 420 22nd Street South, St. Petersburg, Fla. 33712, hosts its own exhibitions in conjunction with the Morean Arts Center on Central Avenue. The Center for Clay offers rotating exhibits that are always free and open to the public with upcoming exhibits including a Joe Pintz Solo Show, Artist in Residence Exit Shows, Morean Center for Clay Members Show, NEW Artist in Residence Show, Jeremy Randall Solo Show and Wood Fire Workshop Gallery Show to close out 2017.
Celebrating Another Century
The heart of the Morean Arts Center is the community and its artists. Offering opportunities for those to connect with art and the benefits of creating art is something the Morean has done for the past 100 years. On behalf of the staff and everyone associated with this organization, here’s to another 100 years and beyond of connecting the community with all things art.
Become a member during our 100th Anniversary and receive special perks for members of the Morean Arts Center only!
To learn more about becoming a sponsor, please click Morean Arts Center 100th Sponsorship Information
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Drawing on the familiar and effective maritime principle of an SOS distress call, Professor Hollis argues in his paper, An e-SOS for Cyberspace, that an analogous system should be established to respond to cyber distresses. Traditionally, an SOS call required ships in the area “to ‘proceed with all speed’ to provide whatever assistance” they could. Hollis argues that “international law needs a new norm for cyber-security: a duty to assist, or DTA.” This duty to assist (DTA) would be much like an SOS in maritime law, in that it would “marshal sufficient resources to avoid or at least mitigate . . . harm as much as possible.” Under Hollis’ proposal, individuals, businesses, organizations, and/or states should have a similar ability (and a similar corresponding duty) to seek and provide aid to the victims of cyber attacks. If the DTA is effective, Hollis argues that it will not only help avoid or mitigate cyber harms but that it will also act as a deterrent by making attackers “think twice about whether it is worth the effort to attack at all.” Hollis is careful to make clear that he does not “expect any resulting duty to remediate all threats nor to operate in all contexts,” but he lays out a framework, inviting the international community to accept the apparent need and to craft a solution that will provide the assistance required.
Recognizing that Hollis’ project here is not to propose a complete solution but merely a framework upon which to build, I will focus my comments on four points in Hollis’ paper: proximity, frequency, technology protection, and the continuing problem of attribution. While these four points are fundamental to Hollis’ proposal, I believe that they also present some difficulties.
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There’s been no shortage of threats to business continuity over the past decade; terror attacks, hurricanes and tornadoes are constant reminders of the need for a well-honed disaster recovery plan. But the era has also featured two devastating recessions and a rash of corporate downsizings, leaving executives with fewer resources to guarantee the timely restoration of critical business operations and databases.
“The events of the past decade have taught us that businesses must deal with disaster recovery in a pragmatic way,” says Kerwin Myers, senior director of product management at SunGard Availability Services. “Otherwise, companies may make critical mistakes and may never recover from a disaster. Conversely, overspending on disaster recovery can also pose a threat to your company.”
Smart Business spoke with Myers about how to ensure business continuity by taking a realistic approach to disaster recovery.
How have the events of the last decade impacted disaster recovery?
Executives seldom thought about disaster recovery before Sept. 11. Now, they recognize the need for planning, but restoring a network and recovering data require professionals with specialized skills, and the rigorous process often takes a back seat to day-to-day operations. Additionally, companies must now adhere to governmental regulations and industry mandates designed to ensure organizations develop business continuity plans.
What are the typical pain points that organizations face when recovering from a disaster?
Recovering from a disaster hinges on accurate and current disaster recovery procedures. Many organizations fail to recover or take longer to recover because these procedures are not accurate or not current. Production Information Technology environments are constantly changing. This means that an effective change management practice that includes a process for updating recovery procedures and recovery configurations is a crucial component to successful restoration. Changes in the production environment happen daily, impacting recovery. As a result, the recovery plan must be kept up to date with day-to-day production changes.
In many cases, organizations depend on the same staff for production and disaster recovery. This requires production to be redeployed to restore critical applications and data during a disaster. But the event may prevent workers from reaching the facility or inflict personal hardships or injuries that keep them from working.
Last, IT professionals spend most of the time maintaining and updating applications, so restoration efforts may be hampered by a lack of knowledge of restoration practices.
What are the key planning elements to help ensure a seamless recovery?
Recovery plans should be customized to individual businesses but should include these critical steps to ensure effective recovery.
* Create specific and sequential recovery processes and procedures. Employees need clear procedures to restore critical IT services.
*Establish priorities. Some mission-critical applications and technical functions must be restored immediately to minimize financial loss. Consider cost/performance trade-offs, estimated recovery times and business needs when establishing post-event priorities.
* Close skill gaps. Staff members must take on specific roles and duties during recovery, but there’s no time for training once disaster strikes. Inventory the required skills to execute the plan and close gaps through training or by contracting with external providers.
* IT organizations must ensure production changes are being replicated in recovery configurations and procedures.
What mistakes may impede or prevent a complete recovery?
An outdated recovery plan can stymie recovery. Companies need to reconcile the plan with the changing technical configuration and update procedures and priorities to align with the business requirements on a quarterly or semi-annual basis, as recovery may fail if the plan elements aren’t tested and refined.
Should all data be recovered in the same way?
Most data centers are a collection of new and legacy systems and applications from multiple vendors, which means all data can’t be recovered in the same way. For example, data from critical tier-one applications may be replicated on servers in other locations, which is expensive, but the investment practically eliminates down time after a disaster.
Applications that run in the cloud can be accessed from any location and the provider assumes responsibility for disaster planning and recovery. Tier-two apps could run on separate servers and are restored from tape backups or a virtualized environment.
How are virtualization and cloud-based solutions impacting backup and recovery processes?
The emergence of the cloud and virtualization has created new rapid recovery options at a better price point. Applications that run on Web-based platforms can be supported by third-party providers with hundreds of servers, so recovery can be as simple as switching to another site. The best providers take a holistic approach by considering the interdependency between legacy and Web-based applications and offer a comprehensive solution.
What should an IT manager look for in an outsourced disaster recovery service provider?
Beyond price and equipment, an IT manager should evaluate the following criteria.
* Experience and expertise in processes and procedures.
* Commitment and conviction backed by guarantees and SLAs.
* Track record. Has the firm been tested by a real disaster? Was the recovery successful?
* Testing and audits. A provider should conduct hundreds of tests and audits each year, so ask to review its documentation before committing.
Kerwin Myers is a senior director of product management for SunGard Availability Services. Reach him at [email protected]
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THE FILE 250,000+ 35mm, 500,000+ digital images.
OVERVIEW National/international nature, wildlife and natural history. Wide variety of native and exotic flora and fauna of Africa, Amazon, Andes, Appalachians and mid-Atlantic. Travel files of Central and South America, Africa, Madagascar as well as North America national, state and provincial public lands. Extensive coverage of NPs and NWRs, including Hawaii’s Volcanoes, Haleakalah, Waimea Canyon, Kilauea Point and many others.
NATURAL HISTORY Birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish, insects. Wildflowers (common and Latin names), ferns, trees, wildlife gardens, cultivated varieties. Mushrooms. Scenics, biomes and habitats. Geology, geography. Tropical ecosystems, flora, fauna, habitats, scenics.
GENERAL STOCK Ecotourism, adventure travel. Birdwatching, boating, fishing, hunting. Families, kids' baseball, soccer. Nontraditional women's activities. Environmental pollution and testing, landfills, recycling. Agriculture, horticulture. Photomicrography. Travel files of Central and South America, Africa; national and provincial public lands, including indigenous people, scenics. Environmental education, ecotourism and ecological habitats.
SPECIALTIES Shenandoah NP--all angles, seasons, landscapes, tourism and wildlife. Similar coverage of mid-Atlantic and southeastern states, Appalachia, national and state parks, refuges and preserves, especially Blue Ridge Parkway, Great Smoky Mountains, Chincoteague, Eastern Shore, Okefenokee, Outer Banks. Wildflowers, birds (especially songbirds and warblers), neotropical migrants, small mammals, mushrooms, reptiles and amphibians, insects, fish. Ecosystems, geology, habitats, nature study, birdwatching, tourism. Large detailed files on most major national parks, including extensive coverage for book projects on Blue Ridge Parkway, Everglades, Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, Great Smokey Mountain, Kings Canyon, Rocky Mountain, Sequoia, Shenandoah, Yellowstone and Yosemite. Thorough Kenya, Madagascar, South Africa and Tanzania files. Extensive Central American files of Belize, Costa Rica, Panama and South America in the Andes, Amazon, Chile, Patagonia, Ecuador and Venezuela. We specialize in the rare, secretive and hard to photograph life on earth.
GEOGRAPHIC AREAS U.S.: Alabama, southern Appalachians, Arizona, Back Bay, Blackwater, Bombay Hook, Chesapeake Bay, Carolinas, Colorado, Delaware, Eastern Shore, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii (Big Island, Kauai, Maui), Kentucky, Maryland, mid-Atlantic coast, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming. Canada: Newfoundland, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Quebec. National Parks/Refuges: Acadia, Arches, Assateague, Badlands, Bryce, Chincoteague, Death Valley, Denali, Dinosaur, Dolly Sods, Exit Glacier, Everglades, Glacier, Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, Great Smoky, Haleakala, Jewel Cave, Kenai Fjords, Kilauea Point, King’s Canyon, Mount Rushmore, Okefenokee, Redwoods, Santa Ana, Sequoia, Shenandoah, Volcanoes, Waimea Canyon, Waterton, Wind Cave, Wright Brothers, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Zion. Latin America: Baja, Belize, Costa Rica, Chile, Ecuador and Galápagos Islands, Mexico, Panama, Patagonia, Tobago, Trinidad and Venezuela. Africa: Kenya, Madagascar, South Africa, Tanzania.
RECENT COVERAGE During the past ten years, we have written and photographed for 18 new books for Falcon Press, Farcountry Press and Nature Pod; all were national parks books about baby animals, travel, wildflowers or general natural history. While writing these books and teaching photography for Canon, we continue to have the opportunity to live within many of our national parks. We have extensive new material from Acadia, Arches, Badlands, Bryce, Death Valley, Dinosaur, Everglades, Glacier, Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, Great Smoky Mountains, Jewel Cave, Joshua Tree, King’s Canyon, Mount Rushmore, Point Pelee, Rocky Mountains (including more than 500 pictures of a mother and baby bobcat in perfect light), Sequoia, Shenandoah, Waterton Lakes, Wind Cave, Yellowstone, Yosemite and associated tourist areas. Coverage includes major habitats, flora, fauna, geology, park activities and ecotourism. We photographed many rare and endangered species. Also, we recently took nature photography students on trips to Assateague and Chincoteague NWRs, Blue Ridge Parkway, Great Smoky and Shenandoah NPs. On a trip to Costa Rica we had a fantastic experience slogging around with National Geographic crocodile expert Brady Barr. We photographed Barr and a local crocodile expert trying to capture the largest croc ever caught by hand; they captured, measured, aged and sexed the ancient creatures. At more than 11,000 feet in the bleak parmo, we tested Canon’s pro cameras, flashes and ultra telephoto lenses in a horizontal driving rain as that was our only chance to get into this unique habitat. After more than an hour in this inhospitable climate we came away with stunning full frame shots of the endemic volcano junco and several other localized species. These weather conditions were the most severe our cameras have ever been exposed to, but they performed without a glitch. We recently led nature photography trips to Ecuador, Galapagos, Chile, Patagonia and Panama. Ecuador and Galapagos are always great for the amazing diversity of life. The scenery of Patagonia is simply spectacular and we photographed many new species of endemic plants and animals. On our Panama trip we photographed more new species of neotropical birds than ever before. The guides for the Canopy Tower, Canopy Lodge and Canopy Camp were as good as it gets and would find and call in whatever target birds we wanted to photograph. In the Canopy Camp, in Panamas remote Darien province, we photographed many new species of insects, mammals and birds. We got frame filling shots of a male fiery topaz, a species of hummingbird which only recently had been discovered in Panama.
PHOTOGRAPHIC PLANS We frequently visit the following parks in all seasons doing research and photography for our Field Guide series: Big Bend, Blue Ridge Parkway, Death Valley, Everglades, Glacier, Grand Teton, Great Smokies, Rocky Mountain, Saguaro, Shenandoah, Yellowstone and Yosemite. In July 2016 we are taking a nature photography group to Costa Rica. This is the peak time for the densest nesting sea turtle population in the world at Tortugero. After photographing the sea tutles and lots of other coastal wildlife like red-eyed tree frogs, we will head into the mountains to Ranch Naturalista. The area has lots of interesting hummingbirds like the rare snowcap. We will then head up into the cloud forest at Savegre. More and different species of hummingbirds are here as well as the endemic cloud forest species. The area is especially famous for nesting resplendent quetzals. We are leading a natural history photo trip to Ecuador’s Galapagos, the Amazon and the Andes during July 2017. In March 2017 we will take a group to Panama for nature photography and in July 2017 we will take a group to photograph jaguars and many other creatures in Brazil. If you are interested in going, email firstname.lastname@example.org or email@example.com.
CREDITS Magazines: Adirondack Life, American Horticulturist, Audubon, Birder's World, Chevron Odyssey, Country Living, Defenders of Wildlife, Destinations, Duncraft, Equinox, Forbes, Harrowsmith, Islands, Living Bird, National Geographic, National Geographic KIDS, National Geographic Traveler, National Parks, National Wildlife, Natural History, Nature Conservancy, Ranger Rick, Season, Virginia Wildlife, Women in the Outdoors. Books: American Geographic, Audubon Guides, Camden House, Capstone Press, Chanticleer, Childrens Press, Chronicle, Grolier, Harcourt, Houghton Mifflin, Human Kinetics, KC Publications, Macmillan, Orange Tree Production, Rodale, Sierra Press, Stokes Nature Co., Wadsworth, Wiley, World. Author/Photographer: Nature Guide to Yellowstone National Park, (Falcon Press, 2015; VOWA and MDOWA award winner); Baby Animal Board Book of Appalachian Mountains (Farcountry, 2014; photographers); Nature Guide to Yosemite National Park (Falcon Press, 2014; VOWA and MDOWA award winner); Nature Guide to Blue Ridge Parkway (Falcon Press, 2013; VOWA award winner); Nature Guide to Shenandoah National Park (Falcon Press, 2013; VOWA #1 award winner); Nature Guide to Rocky Mountain National Park (Falcon Press, 2012); Wildflowers of Shenandoah National Park (Falcon Press, 2011); App for Wildflowers of Shenandoah National Park (Falcon Press, 2012); Kids Baby Animal Board Book of Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Farcountry, 2010); Pocket Guide to Yosemite National Park (Falcon Press, 2009); Pocket Guide to Yellowstone National Park (Falcon Press, 2009); Pocket Guide to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (Falcon Press, 2009); Pocket Guide to Grand Teton National Park (Falcon Press, 2009); Shenandoah National Park iPod Nature Guide (Nature Pod, 2009); Born Wild in the Smokies (Farcountry Press, 2007); Shenandoah Simply Beautiful (Farcountry Press, 2007); Born Wild in Shenandoah (Farcountry Press, 2007); Birds of Shenandoah (Shenandoah Natural History Association, 1997; photographer); cover and major contributor to Birds of North America (Hugh Lauter Levin Associates, 1996). Many scientific and lay articles on natural history subjects. Calendars: Audubon, Donihe Graphics, Dream Garden, Ducks Unlimited, Falcon, Impact, Landmark, Teldon, Tropical Rainforests. Other: Smithsonian website, advertising displays, CD-ROMs, murals, postcards, posters, prints, puzzles; photo show and tour for Roger Tory Peterson Institute Gallery.
RELATED CREDENTIALS/SKILLS Husband and wife team; both college biology professors, authors and photographers. Extensive classroom and field teaching experience in photography, ecology and biology courses. Rob is a professor of biology and program head of the Nature and Outdoor Photography Curriculum (now offered online) at Lord Fairfax Community College. He teaches field biology and nature photography. Ann is head of the science department and is a professor of anatomy and physiology. She also teaches biology and microbiology. She co-teaches nature photography classes and organizes international nature photo tours. Extensive national and international travel leading nature/photo tours. Ann and Rob were contest judges along with Canon's Explorers of Light, Lewis Kemper and Adam Jones, for Canon's Photography in the Parks Photo Contest. The now-famous Wimberley Head was conceived in our living room when David Wimberley listened to me complain about a 600mm lens that crushed my fingers when it slammed forward on a ball head. David said he could make something better than that. His partner and son, Clay, has forgiven his dad for disassembling his skateboard (when Clay was a teen) for parts to create the first Wimberley Head. Clay and David are both engineers and do extensive testing to make sure their gimbal heads, which were the first, continue to be the best. Clay, an excellent artist and photographer has visited Kenya and Costa Rica with us to test their innovative products. If you are in any of our classes or trips, you will use the various Wimberley inventions and you will be eligible for a special Wimberley discount.
COMMENTS Prompt, full-time staff. Computerized submissions with scientific identifications and Latin names. Can do photomicrography for textbooks. Have done diverse assignment photography, including major advertising campaigns. Program head for the LFCC Outdoor and Nature Photography Careers Certificate and professor in field biology and photography classes for Lord Fairfax Community College, University of Virginia Mountain Lake Biology Station and the University of Michigan. A professional background in wildlife and biology gives a thoroughness to our photography.
NONEDITORIAL SERVICES If you are interested in our natural history photo tours or wish to be put on our mailing list, please email AnnRobSimpson@snphotos.com. We do not advertise the tours, and they fill up fast by word of mouth. Some of the international natural history photo trips are offered as classes for college credit. Ann is head of the science department and in charge of the International Natural History Photography courses (firstname.lastname@example.org) and Rob is head of the Outdoor and Nature Photography certificate program (email@example.com). We are available for professional, enlightening and entertaining powerpoint presentations on a wide variety of subjects. Our favorites are "How to Shoot Like a Pro Nature Photographer" and "National Parks," but we can give very specific programs on anything from birds to the fascinating world of fungi.
Ann & Rob Simpson
1932 E Refuge Church Rd.
Stephens City VA 22655-9607
Ann & Rob Simpson
» Photographer's Bio
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We were the raise and fall.we as the mothers of the earth have done it all. Creators by nature, fighters by instincts. Women have sowed the land and plowed the fields. We borne childern and prepared our man's meals. Queen is what we were known before the masters stripped us from the valleys. Our breed moved on despite the wrong done us. Queen young and old live to tell the story. Queen shed blood to birth a nation. Queen cried tears to free her brothers and sisters from bondage. Yet from time to time queen shows fear for what the world has become without her guidence. Brothers killing brothers, fathers raping daughters. Mothers dying from a disease with a small name. Queen sits on her thrown head hung low. For sometimes she believes our people have no hope. Queen I say unto you our tribe shall conquer death and destruction. Queen mother of the earth, time and space. We'll take off the shackles and live once more through your grace. God bless you, My sister, my queen.
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Mauritania: Trial of four human rights defenders
Boubacar Ould Messaoud, Maitre Brahim Ould Ebetty and Prefesseur Cheikh Saad Bouh Kamara, prominent human rights defenders were arrested by security police at their homes on 17 January 1998 and held incommunicado for four days. They now face charge charges of creating an unauthorised association. Abdel Nasser Ould Ethmane, based in France was charged in absentia. These arrests appear to result from a television program on slavery, a sensitive political issue in Mauritania, featuring an interview with Boubacar Ould Messaoud. AI considers these men to be prisoners of conscience.
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As immigration rates continue to rise in the United States, so do the number of Dreamers. Last year, the Obama administration created the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. It was designed to help young undocumented immigrants adolescents be able to stay in the country without the fear of getting deported in order to study in school or pursue a career.
Nearly one year later there are now 500,000 deferred action applications that have been received by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). So far, only a portion of the applications have been reviewed, with 291,858 requests approved and only 2,352 denied. The rest are still pending. With the majority people that apply being accepted, it proves how far reaching the program has become and how many lives it has changed.
To be eligible, there are certain criteria a person has to meet, like be between the ages of 15 and 31 and be currently enrolled in school. Then, they can apply and must wait a few weeks or months to find out the results of the application.
The program is still not perfect since it leaves immigrants to face the hefty application fee of $465 that many families cannot meet. However, the overwhelming response to deferred action shows that many immigrants and Latinos are coming up with the money in order to taking advantage of the program. After just one year of seeing the positive changes the program has had, the number of Dreamers is expected to continue growing.
You might ask yourself, why should I care about this? The reality is that Latinos everywhere are impacted in some way by the problems immigrants face with being undocumented. Whether it has happened to you personally or a friend of a friend, it is something that relates directly to our community. At the end of the day, everyone deserves a shot at el sueño Americano. To see that this program has grown beyond some of our wildest expectations to help so many people nationwide is truly amazing!
Follow Thalia on Twitter.
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US 6762391 B2
A resistance welding electrode that is particularly suited for resistance spot welding a workpiece to a substrate without cross-contaminating specific portions of the workpiece is described. This is done by sheathing an internal surface of the welding electrode with a thermoplastic polymeric material. Then, there is only contact between the welding electrode and the workpiece at the very distal end of the electrode adjacent to where the workpiece is to be connected to the substrate. Contamination in this area is not detrimental because subsequent workpiece plating does not take place there.
1. A welding apparatus, which comprises:
a) a welding electrode;
b) a tip connected to the electrode, wherein the tip has a tip bore extending to a distal tip end; and
c) a polymeric sleeve housed inside the tip bore in a snug fitting relationship, wherein the sleeve has a sleeve bore sized to slidingly receive a workpiece therein such that the sleeve contacts the workpiece and prevents the workpiece from contacting the tip except at the distal tip end.
2. The welding apparatus of
3. The welding apparatus of
4. The welding apparatus of
5. The welding apparatus of
6. The welding apparatus of
7. A tip for a welding electrode, the tip comprising:
a) a proximal section adapted for connection to a welding electrode;
b) a distal section extending to a distal tip end;
c) a tip bore extending through at least the distal section of the tip to the distal tip end; and
d) a polymeric sleeve housed in the tip bore in a snug fitting relationship, wherein the sleeve has a sleeve bore sized to slidingly receive a workpiece therein such that the sleeve contacts the workpiece and prevents the workpiece from contacting the tip except at the distal tip end.
8. The tip of
9. The tip of
10. The tip of
11. The tip of
12. The tip of
13. A method for connecting a workpiece to a substrate, comprising the steps of:
a) providing a welding apparatus comprising:
i) a welding electrode;
ii) a tip connected to the electrode, wherein the tip is a bore; and
iii) a polymeric sleeve housed inside the bore of the tip;
b) moving the workpiece into the bore of the tip such that a first distal end of the workpiece in contact with a second distal end of the tip with the polymeric sleeve disposal intermediate at least some portion of the workpiece received within the bore;
c) moving the welding apparatus such that the first distal end of the workpiece contacts a substrate;
d) electrically energizing the welding apparatus to cause at least a portion of the first distal end of the workpiece to become molten; and
e) moving the welding apparatus away from the workpiece welded to the substrate.
14. The method of
15. The method of
16. The method of
17. The method of
18. The method of
19. The method of
20. The method of
This application claims priority based on provisional application Serial No. 60/342,294, filed Dec. 20, 2001.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrodes for resistance or elective spot welding, and particularly to construction of such electrodes.
2. Prior Art
In resistance spot welding, it is often difficult to prevent cross contamination of the material of the welding electrode onto the workpiece being welded. In those situations when the welded workpiece is subjected to further processing step, such as plating, cross contamination is undesirable. Often the contamination makes it difficult to plate over the workpiece. An example of this is when a nickel terminal pin is spot welded to the casing of an electrical energy power source for an implantable medical device. Copper is typically used for the welding electrode. However, copper contamination of the nickel surface makes it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to gold plate over the pin. In an implantable power source, the nickel pin welded to the battery or capacitor casing serves as one of the casing terminals. A second terminal pin electrically insulated from the casing by a glass-to-metal seal is the opposite polarity terminal.
What is needed, therefore, is a welding procedure for connecting a workpiece material to a substrate, such as a terminal pin to a casing for an electrical energy power source, that does not result in cross-contamination of the welding electrode material onto the workpiece material.
The present invention describes a resistance welding electrode that is particularly suited for spot welding a workpiece to a substrate without cross-contaminating specific portions of the workpiece. This is done by sheathing an internal surface of the welding electrode with a thermoplastic polymeric material. Then, there is only contact between the welding electrode and the workpiece at the very distal end of the electrode adjacent to where the workpiece is to be connected to the substrate. Contamination in this area is not detrimental because subsequent workpiece plating does not take place there.
These and other aspects of the present invention will become increasingly more apparent to those skilled in the art by reference to the following description and the appended drawings.
FIG. 1 is a side elevational view and end view of a tip 10 for a welding electrode 12 according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a side elevational view and end view of the welding tip 10 shown in FIG. 1 provided with a polymeric sleeve 22.
FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of welding electrode 12 including the tip 10 shown in FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is an exploded, cross-sectional view of the welding electrode 12 shown in FIG. 3 provided with a workpiece pin 42 that is intended to be spot welded to a substrate.
FIG. 5 is a schematic of an electrical energy storage device having the pin 42 welded to its casing to thereby serve as a terminal lead.
Turning now to the drawings, FIGS. 1 and 2 show a tip 10 for a spot welding electrode 12 (FIGS. 3 and 4) according to the present invention. The welding tip 10 is of a conductive material, such as of copper, stainless steel, titanium, aluminum, platinum, tantulum, and alloys thereof having a proximal, threaded section 14 extending to a first cylindrically-shaped section 16 of a reduced diameter. The first cylindrical section 16 steps up to a second cylindrically-shaped section 18 that is not threaded. A cylindrically-shaped bore 20 is provided through the tip 10 centered along its longitudinal axis.
FIG. 2 shows the tip 10 having a relatively thin-walled polymeric sleeve 22 in the shape of tubing received in the bore 20. The sleeve 22 is preferably of a polyimide and of a diameter sufficient to snuggly fit inside the bore 20. An industrial adhesive 24, such as PERMABOND®, secures the sleeve in place. A distal end 26 of the sleeve is provided flush with the distal end wall 28 of the untreaded section 18. However, the sleeve 22 is of a sufficient length to extend beyond the proximal end 30 of the threaded section 14.
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the welding tip 10 including the polymeric sleeve 22 is threadingly mated to the welding electrode 12. The electrode comprises a cylindrically-shaped main body 32 having a frusto-conical shaped nose 34. A first, threaded bore 36 is aligned along the longitudinal axis of the electrode 12, extending from the nose 34 and a portion of the distance through the main body 32 where it widens into a second bore 38. The second bore 38 extends to the proximal end 40 of the main body 32 where it is threaded for connection to a welding apparatus (not shown).
In use, a workpiece pin 42 is loaded into the welding tip 10. As shown in FIG. 4, the pin 42 has a cylindrically-shaped shaft portion 44 connected to an enlarged head 46. The shaft 44 is sized to easily move into and out of the polymeric sleeve 22. In the position shown in the figure, the only contact between he welding tip 10 and the pin 42 is at the distal end wall 28 of the tip 10. This is sufficient contact such that when the welding electrode 12 is electrically energized, the distal surface or projection 46A of enlarged head 46 becomes molten. The molten material is then contacted to a substrate support and the electrical current removed from the welding electrode 12. The welding electrode is moved away from the substrate with the polymeric sleeve 22 sliding over the shaft 44 of the pin 42. In this manner, the pin is left behind, welded to the substrate.
FIG. 5 shows the pin 42 after it has been welded to the lid 48 for a casing 50 of an exemplary electrical energy storage device 52. Nickel is a commonly used material for the pin 42. Before the pin is connected to its associated device, however, it is desirable to coat it with a cover material, such as gold. Should copper from the welding electrode contaminate the pin shaft, the gold plating is often of poor quality. The provision of the polymeric sleeve 22 prevents any such cross-contamination. The uncontaminated pin 42 is readily plated along its shaft 44. What little contamination there is at the enlarged head 46 is not a problem because plating does not take place there.
In that respect, the present invention is applicable for use with any type of electrical energy storage device housed inside of a casing. This includes low rate, medium rate, high rate, case negative and case positive electrochemical cells of both primary and secondary chemistries. Examples of such cells include lithium iodine cells, lithium thionychloride cells, lithium silver vanadium oxide cells, lithium carbon monofluoride cells, lithium manganese dioxide cells, and secondary cells containing lithium cobalt oxide, and the like.
In any event, these types of electrical energy storage devices are typically constructed with the casing serving as the terminal for one of the electrodes, such as the negative electrode, and a terminal lead 54 connected to the other electrode, such as the positive electrode. This is referred to as a case negative design. In that respect, the pin 42 directly connected to the casing 50 provides a structure for connecting to a device to be powered by the electrical energy storage device.
As shown in FIG. 3, the welding electrode 12 is provided with a cut-out portion 56. The cut-out 56 is so that the electrode 12 does not contact the therminal lead 54 as the pin 42 is being welded to the lid 48. The electrical energy storage device is complete by a fill opening 58 sealed with a closure member, such as a metal ball 60. The opening 58 is for filling an electrolyte into the casing for activating the negative and positive electrodes.
It will further be recognized that such electrical energy storage devices may take one of various configurations. For example, depending on the type the configuration of the anode, cathode, terminal lead, and fill opening, etc. will vary. Also, when the electrical energy storage device is an electrochemical cell, the materials housed inside the casing will vary. Such materials may take the form of a liquid or a solid depending on the type of cell. Therefore, it should be clear that the present invention is in no manner limited to a specific type of electrochemical chemistry.
The present invention is also applicable to connecting pins to capacitors, such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,926,362 and 6,334,879, both to Muffoletto et al. These patents are assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated herein by reference.
It is appreciated that various modifications to the inventive concepts described herein may be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.
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We’re an active Buildings Preservation Trust (BPT) and we work hard to preserve and protect Lincolnshire’s stock of historic buildings. We strongly believe that the conservation and regeneration of the historic environment brings positive economic and social benefits for present and future generations.
Our BPT work includes raising grant funds to rescue and repair derelict historic buildings, especially where a commercial project is not financially viable as the cost of repairs far outweighs the resulting value of the building. We find new uses for the buildings, which helps to ensure that they are properly cared for into the future. We are a member organisation of the Association of Preservation Trusts (APT), which provides an invaluable network offering support and advice.
Our most recent project was at 116, High Street, Boston and involved the repair and conservation of an important grade 2* listed Georgian town house, which once housed Lincolnshire’s first private bank. Previous attempts to develop a restoration project had failed, and by the time Heritage Lincolnshire took on the project in 2008 the structure was in a perilous condition and supported by extensive internal scaffolding. We worked with a number of partners and in consultation with the local community to develop the project and raise the necessary funding to repair and regenerate the building. The property was repaired and conserved and brought back into use as a sustainable community asset, with ‘incubator’ units to accommodate start-up businesses being built in the grounds.
We’ve successfully undertaken six projects to date, with the support of key organisations such as the Association of Preservation Trusts, the Architectural Heritage Fund, Heritage Lottery Fund, English Heritage, the local authorities within Lincolnshire and other funding bodies. We’re currently working to develop a new project that will rescue The Old King’s Head, an important 16th century building at Kirton near Boston.
In addition to carrying out our own projects we also regularly help and support local groups and organisations who are working to save a derelict building in their area.
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Key Market Issues Consumption of Mouthwash and Dental Floss is low across China, highlighting that most consumers dont consider these products part of their Oral Hygiene routine. Suppliers need to educate consumers about the benefits of their products in order to increase consumption. The Oral Hygiene market in China is dominated by two categories, Toothbrushes & Replacement Heads and Toothpastes, which constitute nearly 97% of the overall market by value. Consumption frequency analysis reveals that a third of Mid-Lifers and a quarter of Older Consumers are Non-users of toothbrushes. This is a significant market for suppliers to target, especially considering that toothpaste consumption is virtually universal in these two age groups.
For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit http://www.international.to/index.php?option=com_content&id=46414:chinese-oral-hygiene-market-what-consumers-use-and-why&Itemid=446
These HPV-related head and neck general dentistry cancers, or oropharyngeal cancers (cancers of the mouth and throat), occur primarily near the tonsils and the back of the tongue. Previously, it was thought that most head and neck cancers were caused by tobacco and alcohol use. “Researchers now believe that up to 80% of oropharyngeal cancers in the U.S. are due to infection with the HPV virus,” said Lavell. “HPV-related head and neck cancer occurs in both people who drink or smoke and those who don’t.” Other lifestyle habits that increase risk Alcohol and tobacco dry out the normal moist oral tissues.
For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/01/ca-cdha-oral-cancer-idUSnPNSF88963+1e0+PRN20131001
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It’s a scenario that plays itself out daily in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gyms all over the world. A new student, fresh white belt tied securely around his waist, sits facing an experienced training partner. The new student’s adrenaline is pumping, his breathing shallow. His body tenses as he glances down at his opponent’s worn, colored belt. The buzzer sounds. They slap hands, bump fists, and the roll begins. The new student lunges forward. He fights for position using every ounce of strength and energy he can muster. Despite his explosive movements, he can’t seem to make any progress. His frustration growing, he ramps up his efforts, spending even more of his precious energy in a desperate attempt to make something—anything—happen. The experienced student, relaxed and breathing evenly, moves fluidly and effortlessly. He calmly reacts to the new student’s frantic movements. The white belt, energy rapidly fading, soon finds himself trapped beneath his experienced opponent. It’s a claustrophobic feeling, and he struggles with every ounce of his remaining strength to escape. He can’t. The pressure at his elbow comes on quickly. He taps. His partner gives him an encouraging pat on the back. They start again. As the round ends, the white belt collapses against the wall, exhausted. His partner moves on to the next roll, having scarcely broken a sweat.
If you’re an experienced BJJ practitioner, you undoubtedly remember the days of struggling to make it through a single roll without collapsing from exhaustion. And if you’re new to the art of BJJ, then you’re probably all too familiar with the scenario described above. The difference between the two students above can be summed up in one word, flow.
The Importance of Flow
Learning to relax, or flow, while rolling ranks among the most difficult BJJ skills to develop. One reason for this is that, as human beings, our bodies don’t know the difference between an actual street fight and a simulated fight on the mats. When we find ourselves in a physical struggle with another person, certain processes automatically occur in the body that reduce our ability to flow. These natural physical reactions to perceived danger result in what is known as the fight or flight response. When our brains believe we are in physical danger, hormones like cortisol and adrenaline are released into our bloodstreams. These hormones work to slow digestion, speed the heart rate, and reduce blood flow to the major muscle groups. These reactions all serve a valuable purpose: to protect us in times of actual danger. However, in BJJ, these natural processes are a major hindrance to the achievement of flow. Therefore, in order to increase our ability to relax while rolling, we must learn to reduce the production of these stress hormones.
Learn to Flow
WATCH: Flow Roll with BJJ World Champions Alex Silva and Bruno Pucci!
Posted by Evolve MMA on Thursday, December 29, 2016
By incorporating certain methods into your training routine, it’s possible to reduce or prevent the body’s fight or flight response to rolling. These methods include:
1) Forget the outcome
Is winning every roll important to you? Do you treat each sparring session like a gold medal ADCC match? If so, you’re doing yourself a disservice and undoubtedly impeding your BJJ progress. When we prioritize winning over learning and having fun, we raise our stress levels and unwittingly trigger the fight or flight response described above. Conversely, when we stop worrying about losing rolls, we instantaneously reduce the amount of mental stress we experience in class. Remember, there is no winning or losing in the academy—only learning
2) Change your focus
Closely linked to the method above, a change in focus can go a long way towards achieving relaxation while rolling. Instead of focusing on winning, try focusing on any of the following, and you’ll be surprised at the results:
- Your body – Are your movements smooth, or are they jerky? Is your body weight forward, back, or centered? Are your muscles relaxed or tense?
- Your breathing – Is your breathing quick and shallow, or is it deep and controlled?
3) Give up control
Giving up control doesn’t mean allowing your opponent to control you. Instead, it’s a reminder to remain open to wherever the roll may lead. When we allow each roll to develop naturally, we relieve ourselves of the mental stress associated with attempting to control a fluid situation. By remaining open-minded and giving up control, we automatically increase our ability to relax and learn.
4) Make relaxation a priority
Temporarily make relaxation your sole training goal. No matter what your partner does, keep your body as loose and relaxed as possible while reacting to his movements. You will almost certainly be submitted when experimenting with this method, and that’s perfectly fine. Remember, your goal isn’t to win, it’s to flow and learn. By making relaxation a priority, you’ll automatically put less emphasis on winning, and your overall game will improve as a result.
5) Keep going to class
Perhaps the easiest thing you can do to improve your ability to flow is simply show up to class. A major reason that many new students find it difficult to relax while rolling is fear of the unknown—a fear that triggers the body’s release of stress hormones. By regularly attending class and sparring, we gradually alleviate this fear. In addition, consistent class attendance increases our comfort with physical confrontation. This comfort, in turn, increases our ability to remain relaxed and poised while rolling.
So, next time you’re on the mats give these tips a try and start making flow a priority.
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Procedures: There are two categories of abortions: surgical and chemical.
1. Suction-aspiration. Up to 3 months. 80% of all abortions. Commonly known as vacuum abortions. A hollow plastic tube is used to dismember and suck the baby out of the mother and into a bottle. The instrument used for this abortion is 10-29 times more powerful than a home vacuum cleaner.
2. Dilation and Curettage (D&C). 2nd and 3rd month. This abortion is similar to the suction method, except a surgical knife is inserted into the womb and is used to cut the baby apart. The baby is scraped out through the cervix. This abortion should not be confused with a therapeutic D&C, which is done on a non-pregnant woman.
3. Dilation and Evacuation (D&E). Usually up to 4 months (sometimes more). Forceps are inserted, grasping the parts of the baby's body. These parts are torn off and removed from the mother. After 12 weeks the skull must be crushed by forceps for removal.
4. Saline abortion. 4 to 7 months. A strong salt solution (saline) is injected into the womb. The baby breathes and swallows the solution which slowly poisons and suffocates her while it slowly burns her skin. The child usually dies 1 to 2 hours later. The mother goes into labor and delivers a dead or dying baby.
5. Prostaglandin abortion. 4 to 8 months. Prostaglandins are hormones needed for birth. Injecting them into the womb induces premature birth of a baby too young to survive outside the womb. Usually the child dies during the trauma of the premature labor.
6. Hysterotomy. 6 to 8 months. This abortion is like a birth by Cesarean section, except the purpose is to kill the baby. An incision is made through the abdomen into the womb. The baby is killed by various means including drowning in a bucket of water, suffocation with the placenta, cutting the cord while the baby is in the uterus depriving her of oxygen, or allowed to die by neglect.
7. Partial birth abortion or Dilation and Extraction. (D&X). 4 1/2 to 8 months. Newest method in use. Developed because the "classic" D&E method was "difficult due to the toughness of the fetal tissues at this stage of development," (Dr. Martin Haskell, NAF, 1992). This method was also developed to overcome the "complication" of live birth from the saline, prostaglandin and hysterotomy abortions. A D&X abortion involves completely delivering a baby's body except for the head. While the head is still inside the mother, a sharp instrument is forced into the back of the baby's head to make an opening for the insertion of an instrument to suction the brain out of the skull. After the brain is removed, the skull is crushed and the rest of the baby's body is delivered.
What happens to the aborted babies? Aborted babies are often dumped into plastic bags for disposal in the trash or sold by the bag for fetal transplant and experimentation. Some are run through a garbage disposal. Live fetuses have been subjected to grisly experiments--bodies have been dissected, chests sliced open to observe heart action, heads cut off for bizarre purposes. Babies have been conceived and aborted for the unproved purpose of using their cells to treat adults with diabetes, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. (John Wilke, Abortion Questions & Answers Cincinnati: Hayes Publishing Co., 1988 Chapter 25; Randy Alcorn, ProLife Answers to ProChoice Arguments Portland: Multinomah Press, 1992. p188.)
Does the baby feel pain during an abortion? "As early as 8-10 weeks gestation, and definitely by thirteen and a half weeks, the human fetus experiences pain." (V. Collins, MD and Diplomatic and Fellow, American Board of Anesthesiologists.) Dr. Collins was one of 26 doctors from around the country, including pain specialists and two past presidents of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, who sent a letter in 1984 to Ronald Reagan saying: "Mr. President, in drawing attention to the capability of the human fetus to feel pain, you stand on firmly established ground." (Wilke, p.64 and 69).
Physical complications with surgical abortions.
Over 100 potential physical complications have been associated with abortion. Some complications are immediately apparent while others reveal themselves days, months and even as much as 10-15 years later.
Immediate and short-term risks:
Infection. The damage can be mild or fatal. For the free standing abortion facility, with far inferior care, the number of infections will be at least double that of a hospital environment. (C. Gassner & C. Ballard, American Journal OB/GYN, vol. 48, p. 716).
The typical infection involving the woman's reproductive organs (uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries) is pelvic inflammatory disease or PID. PID is often difficult to manage and often leads to sterility, even with prompt treatment. Some women have serious chronic pain the rest of their lives because of PID. Some women even have pain every time they have sex because of PID. (M. Spence, "PID: Detection and Treatment," Sexually Transmitted Disease Bulletin, Johns Hopkins University, vol. 3, no 1, February 1983).
(PID is not a sexually transmitted disease but is a common complication from infection from abortion and STD's such as gonorrhea and chlamydia.)
Perforation of uterus. During suction, D&C and D&E abortions, the abortionist is operating blindly, by sense of feel. If he manipulates the surgical instrument too easily or too forcibly, he can puncture the woman's uterus and even her bladder or bowel.
On February 23, 1996 the National Right to Life News reported the story of a young Miami, FL woman who died after a raging blood infection overwhelmed her body. The infection was caused when the doctor performing her abortion punctured her uterus (at least twice). The infection caused gangrene to attack her hands and legs turning her limbs black. In an effort to save her life, doctors amputated her feet and portions of her legs. She died four days later. The abortion clinic owners, doctor, and staff disappeared taking their medical records and delaying the families search for justice.
Failure to extract all "products of conception." Specifically, if a limb or skull is left in the uterus, severe infection may result, causing severe cramping and bleeding. If infection becomes too advanced or is persistent, a hysterectomy--or removal of the womb--will be necessary.
Embolisms. An embolism is an obstruction of a blood vessel by a foreign substance such as air, fat, tissue, or blood clot. Childbirth is a normal process, and the body is well prepared for the birth of the child and the separation and expulsion of the placenta. Surgical abortion is an abnormal process and slices the unripe placenta from the wall of the uterus into which its roots have grown. This sometimes causes the fluid around the baby, or other pieces of tissue or blood clots, to be forced into the mother's circulation. These then travel to her lungs, causing damage and occasionally death. (W. Cates et al., American Journal OB/GYN, vol. 132, p. 16
Usually, such a blockage is minor and goes unnoticed and is eventually dissolved. But if the block occurs in the brain or heart, it may result in a stroke or heart attack. This condition may occur anywhere from 2-50 days after an abortion and is a relatively frequent major complication.
Bleeding (hemorrhaging). Some women need blood transfusions after an abortion.
Anesthetic complications. Due to the rich blood supply around the uterus during pregnancy, local and general anesthesia during abortions is risky. Convulsion, heart arrest and death are not an uncommon result because outpatient abortion clinics generally have little equipment and expertise to deal with it.
Other complications. In a D&E, abortionists have been known to mistakenly grab a woman's uterus with the forceps and pull it inside out. In a few recorded cases involving suction-aspiration abortions, abortionists have inadvertently sucked out several feet of the mother's intestines in a matter of seconds.
Death. We often hear of the "thousands" of women who died each year in the United States before abortion became legal in 1973. The fact is that in the entire year of 1972, only 39 women died from illegal abortions. (US Dept. of Health and Human Services)
Today, women do die from legal abortions. For example, the pro-abortion Chicago Suns Times ran a multi-issue expose in 1978. They discovered 12 mothers who had died from abortions. The deaths had previously gone unreported. They also reported abortions being done on non-pregnant women as well as some being performed by incompetent medical persons in unsterile conditions. (Wilke's book p.102-103) It is possible that only 5-10% of all deaths resulting from legal abortion are reported as abortion related. (John Ankerberg and John Weldon. When Does Life Begin. Brentwood, TN: Wolgemuth and Hyatt, Publishers (1989) p 58).
"What the Supreme Court legalized in some clinics in Chicago is the highly profitable, and very dangerous back-room abortion." (Special reprint, Chicago Sun Times, Field Enterprises, 1978)
In a study done by abortionists themselves, out of 1,182 suction abortions, they reported 9.5% of their patients required blood transfusions, 4.2% suffered cervical lacerations, 1.2% had uterine perforations, and 27% developed infections. (J.A. Stalworthy, et. Al., "Legal Abortion: A Critical Assessment of its Risks," The Lancet, December 1971).
Women who may appear physically unaffected by an abortion after a one year follow-up may be found to be severely affected by abortion as many as 10-15 years later.
Ectopic pregnancies. If the scar tissue covers the openings from the fallopian tube to the uterus only partially, then the sperm will be able to reach the egg in the tube. Conceptions occurs, and fertilized egg (baby) begins to grow and move toward the uterus. The fertilized egg is too large to get from the fallopian tube to the uterus opening because of the scar tissue blocking part of the opening. The baby continues to grow inside the tube, eventually causing the tube to burst. If surgery is not done to remove the baby, then the mother will die. There has been a 300% increase in ectopic pregnancies since abortion was legalized. (US Dept. H.H.S., Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, no. 33, no. 15, April 20, 1984--quoted in Willke's book p. 108). Among women who aborted their first pregnancy there was a 500% increase in subsequent ectopic pregnancies. (Chung et al. "Effects of Induced Abortion Complications on Subsequent Reproductive Function" U. of Hawaii, Honolulu, 1981--Wilke p. 109) This is not to say that every woman who experiences tubal pregnancy has had an abortion.
Sterility. Because of such early complications as infections after an abortion, the uterus is often scarred. If the scar tissue covers the opening from the tube to the uterus, then the tiny sperm cannot reach the egg. Fertilization cannot occur.
Cervical incompetence. After infection, damage to the cervix is the next leading cause of post-abortion reproductive problems. Normally the cervix is rigid and tightly closed during pregnancy. However, during abortion the cervix undergoes tremendous stress and is often torn, resulting in permanent weakening. In a later "wanted" pregnancy, this may result in the cervix opening prematurely, resulting in miscarriage or premature birth. For this reason, the chance that a later "wanted" child will die during pregnancy or labor is at least twice as high for previously aborted women. One study shows the risk of premature delivery and second trimester miscarriage increases 10 times for women who have had abortions. Normally 5% of babies are born premature. This rate jumps to 40% on aborted women. (Aborted Women, Silent No More: Twenty Women Share Their Personal Journeys from the Tragedy of Abortion to Restored Wholeness by David C. Reardon p.101 - See the Resouce List in Part 3).
Teenage girls are at increased risk because they have immature cervixes and "run the risk of a difficult and potentially traumatic dilation." (C. Powell, Problems of Adolescent Abortion, Ortho Panel 14, Toronto General Hospital--quoted in Willke's book p.115). In one study of 50 teenage girls who had abortions there were 47 later "wanted" pregnancies. Of these 47 pregnancies 66% ended in defective births, including 19 miscarriages and 7 premature births. Only 34% ended with a full-term delivery of a healthy child. ( See Reardon, p.100-102 and Willke 105-106).
In 1995 Texans United for Life reported the tragic story of a 15-year-old girl who died, accordinng to court records, from an infection caused when the abortionist tore the right side of her cervix. Because the girl had obtained the abortion without her parents' knowledge, for four days she ignored the symptoms of infection - fever, chills, and nausea - hoping they would go away. However, by this time, her infection was massive and she was checked into a hospital where she died a few days later in intensive care.
The hospital doctors reported that if she had received prompt medical attention, this young girl would still be alive today. A few days after her death, the Texas Department of Health (TDH) sent an investigator to the clinic (A-Z Women's Services in Dallas) to look into the matter. Although the TDH has the power to revoke the license of an abortion clinic and according to court documents the investigator found the clinic to be "a serious and immediate threat to the life and health of its patients," business continues as usual at A-Z!
Increased risk of breast cancer. Because of the rapid growth of breast tissue in early pregnancy, a forced (as opposed to the natural cessation of pregnancy caused by miscarriage) premature cessation of pregnancy creates an unnatural condition. Consequently, women who have first trimester abortions face twice the risk of contracting breast cancer as those who miscarry or complete their pregnancies and give birth. (Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, October 1996. See National Right to Life News article "British Medical Journal Documents Abortion/ Breast Cancer Link, November 14, 1996, p 18; and World article "Abortion and Breast Cancer Linked in Report," October 26, 1996, p 18.
Chemical abortions and their complications:
These are not "emergency contraception that prevents pregnancy" as misrepresented by the news media, but in reality abort a pregnancy that's already begun. They are early abortion techniques that kill a human being in her first stages of development.
The morning-after pill. Combined doses of certain birth-control pills, taken up to 72 hours after intercourse blocks the fertilized egg from implanting into the uterus. Morning-after pill complications include severe nausea and vomiting.
RU 486. (Mifepristone or the "abortion pill") Can only be used during the first 7-9 weeks of pregnancy. RU 486 prevents the uptake of progesterone, a hormone that helps to create and maintain the uterine lining which provides nourishment and oxygen for the developing child. The uterine lining begins to break down and slough off, cutting the child off from her basic supply of food, fluids and oxygen. The child shrivels and finally suffocates or starves to death. A prostaglandin given about two days later stimulates uterine contractions to expel the unborn baby. A third visit approximately two weeks later confirms the completion of the abortion. (Although approved by the FDA, production problems and legal troubles has prevented full scale introduction of the "French abortion pill" and put it on hold at the time of this writing October 15, 1997.)
RU486 complications: Severe pain, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, low heart and blood pressure and prolonged and heavy bleeding. It has been described as "painful, messy and protracted" with "golf ball size clots, steady streams of blood like faucets." (Time Dec. 1994 quoted in NRLN Feb. 23, 1996) During the 2100 patient trial in the US at least one woman lost half of her blood volume and required surgery to save her life. (NRLN, August 21, 1996 p.26) The procedure is so grueling that only 20 percent of women seeking abortions in France get a chemical one even though RU 486 has been available there since 1988 and the price is comparable to surgical abortion. Those who fail to return for their 2-week check up may eventually give birth to children with severe disabilities.
Methotrexate. Can only be used during the first 6-8 weeks of pregnancy. An anti-cancer drug injected into the mother which works very similar to RU 486 by destroying the child's protective environment and depriving the baby of the food, oxygen, and fluids she needs to survive. Usually the child is dead in a matter of days. About a week later, a prostaglandin is given to the mother to expel the dead baby.
Methotrexate complications: Even at the smaller doses used for abortions, Methotrexate can produce severe anemia, ulcers and bone marrow depressions that can be fatal. New York abortionist Don Sloan wrote in an April 8, 1996, letter to the New York Times that "many of us in the 'abortion trade,' as I am, are recoiling at the stark irresponsibility of those who are parading this medication in such cavalier fashion." (NRLN, April 12, 1996, p. 10.)
Complications with all 3 chemical abortions:
Approximately 95 percent of the time the unborn baby dies. In the other 5 percent, the women must undergo a surgical abortion because of the increased risk of birth defects and cancer to the drug-exposed embryo. (World, January 18, 1997, p. 17, and Today's Dallas Woman, January 1996, p. 9).
Psychological complications for the mother from having been the direct hand behind the abortion. A woman's home, where the abortion will take place about half the time, is likely to become an aversive place to her. The most horrible implication is that the mother will actually witness and be an active participant in killing her child. Because it is a self-induced abortion, there is a high probability that she will actually have to deal with the fetal tissue on her own.
Note: Certain forms of so called "contraceptives", specifically the IUD, Norplant and certain lowdose oral contraceptives do not prevent conception but prevent implantation of an already fertilized ovum. (Not all oral contraceptives act this way.) The result is an early abortion, the killing of an already conceived individual. Tragically, many women are not told this by their physicians, and therefore do not make an informed choice about which contraceptive to use. TUFL is not advocating for or against birth control. TUFL does oppose the specific abortion-causing agents above, which are not the same as true contraceptives. True contraceptives do not cause abortions but instead prevent the sperm and egg from coming together to conceive a human life. (Landrum Shettles and David Rorvik, Rites of Life: The Scientific Evidence for Life before Birth, 1983, 152-152, cited in Alcorn, p.116).
Note: Fetal reduction or downloading is routinely used to abort a child when the mother is carrying twins or triplets. If a woman decides she only wanted one baby or there are "possible risks" of one of the children having a deformity, through the use of ultrasound one baby is selected for death, i.e. reduction. Fetal reduction is performed with ultrasound and a thin needle inserted through the abdomen into the womb. Potassium chloride is injected through the needle directly into the heart of the "selected" baby and the heart stops.
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|There's more than one way to do things|
natural language sentence constructionby thpfft (Chaplain)
|on Jun 17, 2001 at 15:03 UTC||Need Help??|
thpfft has asked for the
wisdom of the Perl Monks concerning the following question:
Most of my work involves interface-building, and I've found that once the logic and presentation are reasonably together, the biggest factor in the success or failure of the system is the tone and clarity with which it addresses the user.
So i've become obsessed with writing ui scripts that use proper colloquial english. People react so much better to a page that tells them what's going in a conversational way that i almost don't mind bloating the scripts with sentence construction code and obfuscating the templates with grammatical conditionals.
Here's a very simple example, dug out of the middle of a script i'm updating at the moment. The end result is a sentence in the form:
We found 27 campaign updates and case studies relevant to children and young people, death penalty and the Americas.
except sometimes it's only one type of document, or no restriction at all, or only one keyword, only two results, and so on. There are dozens of permutations, and the proper way of describing the situation is different each time in small but vital ways. This excerpt is as close as I've come without spelling everything out:
If anyone is interested enough to make this more elegant - or just play golf with it - i'd be much obliged.
but my main question: is there a module or project that'll do some of this work for me? CPAN yields a lot of stemming and other mechanisms designed to make words more friendly to computers, but not much designed to make them more friendly to people.
If there isn't any such module, i'd like to start building one. I imagine something extensibly rule-based with a relatively small number of abstract construction mechanisms for common sentence forms, and a vocabulary of prepositions and articles and so on. Ideally swappable into languages other than English, one day. Any views about feasibility or functionality?
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Professor Linda Perkins elected to board of National Council for Research on Women
Linda Perkins, associate university professor in the schools of Educational Studies and Arts and Humanities, has been elected to the board of directors of the National Council for Research on Women.
Perkins was elected to a three-year term on the board.
The council is a network of leading research, policy, and advocacy centers committed to improving the lives of women and girls. It works in partnership with businesses, academic, nonprofit, and philanthropic organizations.
Perkins said CGU will host the council’s fall board meeting in October.
“It's such an honor to be elected to the board,” she said. “I'm tremendously excited to serve with the leaders of so many excellent organizations involved with issues of girls and women, including the White House Project, the Girl Scouts, and the Foundation Center.”
Perkins is a historian of women’s and African American higher education.
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KARACHI, Feb 27: Landhi Town has set a strange precedent of allowing a public sector school to be used for a commercial venture.
A coaching centre is offering computer science and English language classes.
An official in the CDGK education department when asked about allowing the school to be used by a coaching centre said he had no knowledge about the matter or who gave permission for the venture.
They said the law did not allow commercial usage of a public school’s premises or its property by an individual or commercial organisation.
The Landhi town administration inaugurated a coaching centre recently on the premises of N.A. Abbasi Govt. Boys Secondary School, Landhi near Hanafia Alamgir Jama Masjid. A pamphlet distributed in the area offers coaching class for students from matric to graduation including English language of basic and advance and computer classes basic and advance courses.
The facilities offered are computer labs, practical labs, and other facilities available on the school premises. The pamphlet contains the official emblem which has confused some students and their parents who presume that it is a government’s project.
According to details gathered by DAWN, the Landhi administration sent a letter to the EDO Education seeking permission to use the schoool’s premises to impart computer and English language education to poor students free of cost. The permission was granted.
A pamphlet was published that says there is a Rs100 fee. The coaching centre operates from 3pm to 8pm.
Recently, more than 1,000 pupils studying in a school in Firdous Colony, were dislodged in a hurry and the building handed over to an individual. This individual then demolished the building.
| 277,181
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Update: Researchers from the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center initially misidentified the whale the washed ashore in Norfolk on Sunday. It is a fin whale, not a sei whale, Joan Barns, an aquarium spokeswoman, said Tuesday.
NORFOLK — The beach was busy Monday, but not because of warm weather.
Instead, curious onlookers arrived wearing parkas and gloves to catch a glimpse of the 42-foot dead sei whale that washed ashore at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay on Sunday.
“I don’t often get a chance to do that,” said Knox Garvin, a photography teacher at Norview High School in Norfolk.
He was among dozens of people Monday morning in Norfolk’s Ocean View neighborhood with cameras and cellular phones. Many posed in front of the leviathan, which was likely struck by a ship, while companions snapped photographs.
The crowd was so constant — schools, many government offices and some business were closed due to Presidents Day — that the Virginia Marine Resources Commission dispatched an officer to keep an eye on things.
The stranding comes during what’s been Virginia’s most active whale-watching season in recent memory. Researchers from the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center in Virginia Beach have counted 42 individual whales this year, spokeswoman Joan Barns said.
It’s not only whales — fishermen say tuna and other large fish are swimming close to shore. Researchers speculate they’re following menhaden and other feeder fish.
“It’s all about access to food,” Barns said.
Many of the whales are humpbacks, which are common this time of year in the mid-Atlantic Ocean. Researchers also have spotted fin and minke whales, Barns said.
The sei — pronounced “say” or “sigh” — is seen less often, she said. According to the National Marine Fisheries Service, sei whales have a lifespan of 50 to 70 years and can grow 60 feet and weigh 100,000 pounds. They travel alone or in small groups.
The population was greatly depleted due to commercial whaling in the 19th and 20th centuries. Protected under the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 and as an endangered species, there are an estimated 80,000 worldwide.
Researchers have not determined what killed the whale — a necropsy is scheduled Tuesday — but they believe it was struck by a ship. The whale had an 18-inch gash on the back of it’s head, which fractured its skull, and traces of orange and brown paint or rust were in the wound.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which oversees the fisheries service, compiled a list of possible whale/ship strikes off U.S. shores from 1975 to 2002. While not conclusive, the report found that most strikes occur in the Atlantic.
During that time, only three sei whales were reported as possibly hit by a ship. Most whale strikes are fatal, the report says. It’s possible the whale in Norfolk died before it was hit by a ship, Barns said, but it will likely take weeks of tests before researchers could prove that.
Researchers on Tuesday will take samples of the whale back to the Virginia Beach laboratory after the City of Norfolk hauls it closer to shore, Barns said. The city will then dispose of the whale — stranded whales are typically hauled back into the sea with a tugboat or other large vessel or buried on land.
| 74,567
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- Psychology & the public
- What we do
- Member networks
- Careers, education & training
Offender Profiling & Linking Serial Crimes
Investigative Psychology is a field within Forensic Psychology that specifically focuses on how
psychological principles can be applied to the analysis of criminal behaviour. This workshop
will outline the latest scientific research on how patterns of an offender’s behaviour during
crimes can be reliably analysed. A specific emphasis will be put on understanding sub-types
of offenders based on their actions and interactions with victims, and on understanding how
offenders develop and change across their criminal careers, by looking at behavioural
consistency across series of crimes. Participants will specifically benefit from a more indepth
understanding of the psychology behind offending behaviour and the understanding of
how behaviours needs to be evaluated within their context in order to obtain more reliable
and valid interpretation of the meaning of the actions offenders engage in.
Participants will be given practical case study exercises throughout to contextualise the principles discussed. Overall participants should leave the workshop with a fresh look on key concepts relevant to behavioural analysis, and allow for future thinking in relationship to how they can actively
improve and develop their own work practices and understanding of analysing behaviour.
09:30 Registration/Tea and Coffee
10:00 Workshop starts (there will be a 30min break for lunch)
16:30 Workshop ends
The workshop will benefit a wide range of participants, specifically those working in forensic
psychology, policing and investigations, prisons, in the context of psychology and the legal
system, those working in areas of clinical psychology and assessment and other areas that
deal with analysing behaviour, and interpersonal violence. No pre-requisites are needed.
Learning outcomes and objectives
- Receive an overview of the science behind behavioural analysis, and be aware of myths
vs. facts, and how it has moved from being an art to a new science
- Gain knowledge of using psychological and behavioural evidence as an investigative
forensic tool & understand its role in forensic practice, including police work, behavioural
assessment and the court room
- Gain an understanding of sub-types of offenders based on victim target and crime scene
behaviour, and how this differs from a legal and psychological perspective
- Obtain knowledge of key psychological factors affecting offenders behavioural
consistency across time, and an analysis of risk assessment and recidivism
- Be given guidelines of how to write a reliable behavioural evaluation report
Facilitator: Professor Gabrielle Salfati CPsychol
Professor C. Gabrielle Salfati (MSc PhD CPsychol F.IA-IP) is part of the first group of people
that helped establish the field of Investigative Psychology. She has presented and
published widely internationally on behavioural analysis, offender profiling and linking
serial crimes, trains homicide investigators for the Detective Bureau of the New York Police
Department (NYPD), crime analysts for the UK police, and other national, federal and
international police organizations, and has been training psychologists and other legal
professionals on behavioural analysis for over 15 years. She previously directed MSc’s in
Masters programs in Forensic Behavioral Science and as well as Investigative Psychology at
the University of Liverpool. Currently she is based at the City University of New York where
she is the Director of the Investigative Psychology Research Unit, where work is being developed within an international framework through collaboration with major research centers and law enforcement agencies internationally.
- DFP members: £50 + VAT
- Society members: £75 + VAT
- Society non-members: £100 + VAT
How to book:
Please note: online bookings will close 24 hours prior to the event. Please call +44 (0)116 2529512 for availability after this point.
To pay by cheque or request an invoice complete and return the registration form.
Please note that we are only able to accept invoice requests more than 6 weeks before the event date.
Tel: +44 (0)166 2529925
| 86,516
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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The mothers of today are raising their children is such a vastly different world than the previous generation's, but some advice from mom will always ring true.
"Time just flies! Love and enjoy your children while they're small because they grow up so fast," says Theresa Barbieri, of Todt Hill, at the Staten Island Grandmother's Club fundraiser hosted at Li Greci's Staaten in West Brighton.
Many at the event shared Mrs. Barbieri's sentiment. "It all goes by so fast," says Kathy Launhardt. Before fundraiser raffles were drawn, other grandmothers offered some advice for young moms on Staten Island.
Verna Campbell has three children and nine grandchildren. She stressed being there with your kids. "Pay as much attention to them as you can," she said. Love them, care for them and read to them at night."
You have to have a lot of patience and be a loving person," said Elizabeth McCombs. "And also, please share the love with your partner."
Carol Berardi admires young mothers and their achievements as women. "Follow your heart. Mothers today are very intellectual," she said. "More mothers are college educated and have a wonderful instinct to raise their children."
| 264,803
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The T3008US is the Nest Learning Thermostat. This learning thermostat uses advanced technology to remember setpoints, track occupancy and weather, and learns a home's thermal profile to balance comfort and efficiency. It then uses this information to help build a schedule to automatically adjust the temperature based on who's home and the weather environment. Users can also easily control the tempreature and adjust the schedule from phones, tablets and laptops. Check out the video for more cool features included in this learning thermostat.
| 196,749
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This document specifies the data output formats for the specular microscope. The data are usually sent from the specular microscope to either an ophthalmic information system (OIS) or a hospital information system (HIS).
This document addresses text-based analysis reporting of the specular microscope measured and analysed data such as the central corneal thickness, the density of endothelial cells per 1 mm2, the coefficient variant, and the ratio of endothelial cells with a hexagonal shape.
Status: PublishedPublication date: 2023-01
Edition: 1Number of pages: 35
Technical Committee: ISO/TC 215 Health informatics
- ICS :
- 35.240.80 IT applications in health care technology
This standard contributes to the following Sustainable Development Goal:
Buy this standard
|std 1 145||PDF + ePub|
|std 2 145||Paper|
ISO/TS 22218-2:2023Stage: 60.60
Got a question?
Check out our FAQs
Monday to Friday - 09:00-12:00, 14:00-17:00 (UTC+1)
Keep up to date with ISO
Sign up to our newsletter for the latest news, views and product information.
| 133,669
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Ual1636 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR:
Reply 1, posted (14 years 8 months 2 weeks 11 hours ago) and read 1258 times:
The VS varies form aircraft to aircraft. Most airliners climb at about 1000fpm to 2000 fpm. It varies from airline to airline also. To figure out the time it takes to descend, just use simple math. If you descend at 2000 fpm from FL300 to 3000, it'll take 13.5 minutes.
| 146,295
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United Way 2-1-1 is an integrated system of social service assistance via the internet and telephone that operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Ways to access help:
Dial 2-1-1 and an operator will assist you. Multilingual caseworkers are onhand, and TDD access is available.
Visit www.211ct.org and search by category, town, agency name, and a number of other search options.
Visit navigator.211ct.org and complete a 2 minute questionnaire to determine if you're eligible for 24 different state and federal aid programs.
What is United Way 2-1-1?
United Way 2-1-1 is your one-stop connection to the local services you need, from utility assistance, food, housing, child care, after school programs, elder care, crisis intervention and much more. 2-1-1 is always ready to assist you find the help you need. Dial 2-1-1 or search online.
Dial 2-1-1 from anywhere in Connecticut and you will reach a highly-trained call specialist who will assess your needs and provide referrals to the resources in your community. Everyday, call specialists help callers find assistance for complex issues such as financial problems, substance abuse and suicide prevention and for simpler issues such as finding volunteer opportunities and donation options. 2-1-1 is available 24 hours a day every day of the year. Multilingual assistance and TDD access is also available.
Search the 2-1-1 Online Database
United Way 2-1-1’s continually updated, comprehensive database of 4,600 agencies providing over 48,000 programs and services is available for you to search online. Search by location, service category, service term, or agency to find the resources you need.
Services for Agencies, Government and Businesses
2-1-1’s resource database is the foundation for mailing lists for agencies, government and businesses. A statewide directory is also available on CD Rom.
2-1-1 tracks the type of information callers are looking for and the referrals that are made, creating a database that serves as a barometer of the needs present in the state.
2-1-1 maintains arrangements that enable many non-profit agencies to provide after-hours coverage for their clients. 2-1-1 call specialists screen calls and access agency staff when crisis intervention is necessary.
2-1-1 History and Facts
2-1-1 began as Infoline in 1976 as a public/private partnership of United Way and the State of Connecticut. By the mid-eighties, Infoline gained national recognition as a model system.
In 1999, 2-1-1 replaced Infoline’s 800 number and became the first state to use 2-1-1 statewide.
2-1-1 is fully certified in crisis intervention by the American Association of Suicidology.
- A single mother who is worried about the gas shutoff notice she just received.
- A mother looking for child care and after school activities.
- A caller who is depressed, considering suicide and wants help.
- A young woman with a disability inquires about available transportation.
- A caller seeking information about eligibility for Food Stamps.
- A caller looking for volunteer opportunities.
| 118,362
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MONTPELIER – Vermont plans to use a $1 million federal grant to better manage traffic and enhance transportation technology.
Vermont was one of six recipients of $4.034 million in grants announced Tuesday by U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. The grants are part of a program encouraging states to undertake innovative projects that could be replicated by other states.
Vermont’s innovative project would:
• Enhance the information offered at Vermont 511, an online site that provides details about construction projects, road and bridge closures, significant crashes and weather conditions. The site will display information for New Hampshire and Maine as well as Vermont, eventually expanding to all six New England states.
• Help the state install “adaptive signals” that respond to traffic levels and adjust the timing for green and red lights.
• Let the state link to a regional transportation informational system at the University of Maryland that analyzes data about construction, traffic patterns and special events and offers recommendations to assist states or cities with traffic management.
Vermont Deputy Transportation Secretary Sue Minter said this was the second innovation grant the state had received. She explained the state’s success, saying, “It is because we are very aggressively pursuing innovation.”
The trio of projects funded by the new grant will help the state further its goal of making the needs of travelers a leg of its work along with safety and efficient, cost-conscious construction, Minter said.
Vermont transportation officials realized the need for more traveler information when Tropical Storm Irene struck, forcing the closure of roads and bridges across the state, Minter said.
“Our 511 system wasn’t capable of addressing the level of needs during Irene,” she recounted. The state developed a Google map site that provided travelers with real time information about dozens of roads and bridges.
The reports about construction projects on Vermont 511 today are important to bus tour companies and freight haulers who plan their travel, Minter said. Most other travelers rely on roadside message boards or social media to learn the latest news about construction or traffic jams.
“What this new system is going to do is take us to a new world,” Minter said. The online information, roadside alerts and social media messages will all relay more current information. “What is really important about this system is it is really helping our customers.”
Robert T. White, senior manager for the state’s information technology system, has worked to develop the project with his counterparts in other states.
He noted that the enhancements for Vermont 511 will be modeled after Florida 511, but added what will make it unique is that it will cover six states.
Vermont already has experience with another facet of the innovation project: adaptive signals. Earlier this summer, the state installed an adaptive signaling system in Essex at the intersection of Vermont 289 and 2A.
The system uses cameras to monitor traffic and when needed, adjusts the timing for the red and green lights to move vehicles more smoothly through the intersection.
The third innovation — linking with the Regional Transportation Information System — will help the Agency of Transportation not only alert travelers to potential slowdowns but also offer alternatives so drivers could choose to avoid tie-ups, Minter said.
Contact Nancy Remsen at 578-5685 or email@example.com. Follow Nancy on Twitter at www.twitter.com/nancybfp
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Fatu, 39 years old, operates a shop selling charcoal in the Paynesville South area of Liberia. It is a suburb of the capital city of Monrovia and one of the most populated areas in Montserrado County. The area boasts one of the best standards of living in the county with affordable rents, good roads, access to water and lots of transportation options.
Fatu is a widow with six children between the ages of 12 and 21, who are living at home with her. Only four are currently attending school. The last grade Fatu finished before getting into business was Grade 2. For the past six years, she has been selling charcoal in the local market. She started this business with money given to her by her mother. She enjoys her business because it gives her more money. She sells six days a week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Most of the time, she uses a bus or pickup to get her goods to her shop. She is requesting a loan to purchase more inventory for her business. Her plans are to build a house and educate her children.
| 67,990
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Researchers, doctors call for regulators to reassess safety of taking acetaminophen during pregnancy
The painkiller, taken by half of pregnant women worldwide, could be contributing to rising rates of reproductive system problems and neurodevelopmental disorders like ADHD and autism.
More than 90 scientists, doctors, and public health researchers are calling on U.S. and European regulators to conduct new safety reviews of acetaminophen, pointing to mounting evidence that fetal exposure to the commonly used pain reliever could increase the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders and reproductive system effects.
Pregnant women should take as low a dose of Tylenol and other acetaminophen-containing drugs as possible, say the authors of a consensus statement published Thursday in Nature Reviews Endocrinology. Other recommendations include:
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Europe Medicines Agency should conduct new safety reviews of the drug;
- Acetaminophen-containing medicine labels should include recommendations for use during pregnancy;
- Acetaminophen-containing medicine should be sold only at pharmacies, as is already the case in some European countries;
- Additional epidemiological studies should be conducted that more accurately account for dosage, timing, and potentially confounding genetic factors.
Acetaminophen is the most common drug taken by pregnant women, with up to 65% of pregnant women in the U.S. saying they've used the medication, according to the statement authors. The pain reliever is a known endocrine disruptor—meaning it interferes with the proper functioning of hormones—leading to speculations that its widespread use could be contributing to rising rates of reproductive problems and neurodevelopmental disorders. That's because hormones play a significant role in guiding reproductive organ and brain development.
"We have to remember that these drugs are available everywhere, cheaply in huge bottles, and people take a lot of them," said Shanna Swan, a professor of environmental medicine at Mount Sinai and co-author of the consensus statement, during a press briefing. "So, I think many people take these drugs without serious thought and without considering that they're taking a medication which has side effects."
The authors stress that acetaminophen remains an important option for high fever and severe pain for pregnant women, but note that the compound is not that effective at treating chronic pain and headaches.
Acetaminophen’s reproductive impacts
In recent years, researchers have started looking at acetaminophen's endocrine-disrupting effects and potential links to neurodevelopmental disorders, like autism and ADHD. A 2020 birth cohort study found that babies with the highest levels of acetaminophen in umbilical cords had a twofold higher chance of having ADHD, and up to a threefold higher chance of having autism, according to the statement authors. While less is known about how exactly acetaminophen contributes to neurodevelopmental disorders, testosterone is known to play a role in brain development, said Swan. The drug has also been linked to language development delays in young girls.
But the FDA has yet to review how acetaminophen's potential effects on fetal reproductive and genital systems—one of the factors prompting the new consensus statement's authors to review existing epidemiological and animal studies from 1995-2020.
Acetaminophen use during pregnancy has been shown to have a range of effects on developing fetuses' endocrine systems, including lower testosterone levels, an increased risk of undescended testicles and, according to newer research in animals, impacted ovary development, the authors said at the press briefing.
Dr. Xiaobin Wang, director of John Hopkins University's Center on the Early Life Origins of Disease who was not affiliated with the statement, said that while "uncertainty remains about the causal relationship" between acetaminophen and adverse health effects, data from human and animal studies have raised serious concerns.
"For a long time, [acetaminophen] use during pregnancy was regarded to be safe," Wang told EHN in an email interview. "I agree that it is time for regulatory bodies to reassess the safety of [acetaminophen], considering the widespread use of [acetaminophen] among pregnant women and growing concern on its potential adverse health effects on the developing fetus."
Pain relief during pregnancy
With the FDA recently advising women not to take NSAIDs like ibuprofen during the second half of a pregnancy, pregnant women, who are also advised against taking opioids, have few options available for pain relief and fever management. High fever during pregnancy has been linked to neurological effects in offspring, while persistent pain can cause anxiety, depression and high blood pressure in pregnant women.
David Kristensen, a professor of neurology at the University of Copenhagen and co-author of the consensus statement, said this lack of alternative medications has, in part, made regulators concerned that issuing stronger warnings about acetaminophen could discourage women from taking needed medication.
"But I think what we believe is that it's important to empower women to make their own decisions together with their clinicians or pharmacist," he said at the press briefing.
Banner photo credit: Jerry Lai/flickr
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By Patrick McSherry
Gun Deck Crew Space
As on the deck below, the visitor will note the overhead hooks for
the crew’s hammocks, as well as the hanging mess tables. Here, we are again
in the main living area for the crew, just as on the deck below. It is
this area that is used by the Living History Crew of
the OLYMPIA as one of their main areas t demonstrate crew life aboard
The Living History Crew of the OLYMPIA, a
group of historians who intensively research life aboard OLYMPIA
in the 1898 period, strives to bring the decks of the ship back to life.
Visitors can see the members perform many activities typical of crew life
over 100 years ago.
The Living History Crew of the OLYMPIA relaxing in some off
moments on the gun deck.
Proceed to the Galley Page
To visit the website bibliography,
here. To visit the website video bibliography, click
this Site by Visiting the Website Store! (help
us defray costs!)
We are providing the following
service for our readers. If you are interested in books, videos, CD's etc.
related to the Spanish American War, simply type in "Spanish American War"
(or whatever you are interested in) as the keyword and click on "go" to
get a list of titles available through Amazon.com.
Visit Main Page
for copyright data
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Roena B. Kulynych Center for Memory and Cognition Research
We are pleased about your interest in the Roena B. Kulynych Center for Memory and Cognition Research. More people today are living longer lives than ever before, and substantial gains in life expectancy and in the number and proportion of older people throughout the world will have significant impact on our lives in this new century. This revolution in longevity represents both incredible opportunities and great challenges.
One of the major challenges formed by this revolution is the prevalent and tragic affliction of older age people with cognitive impairment, often resulting in dementia. While the scope of cognitive impairment and memory disorders is potentially great, research in this area is in its infancy. Only recently have studies begun to classify different types of memory impairment and to develop ways of identifying people at high risk for developing further memory impairment and dementia.
Dementia, often termed "senility" by the lay public, is a syndrome of impaired thinking, reasoning, judgment, language, memory and learning that affects approximately 25% of persons over the age of 75 and almost 40% of people over the age of 80. The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer's disease. As the oldest segment of the population continues to rapidly grow, dementia (including Alzheimer's disease) will represent a significant and increasing social and economic burden for individuals, family, and society.
The absence of a complete scientific understanding of memory and aging remains a challenge to the medical and public health community. Little is known about such common areas as nutrition, smoking, alcohol consumption, and exercise on brain and memory function. Information is particularly lacking on the relationship between physical activity, physical disability, and memory impairment. There is also a great need for developing medications that prevent decline in mental function and to evaluate both drug and behavioral interventions that will help older people maintain cognitive vitality. In addition, there is a great need to implement new and better approaches to helping families care for older adults experiencing memory impairment while better treatment options are under development.
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Fairy tales are at their core the most primal expression of human stories, our fears, desires, and beliefs, and how they manifest in metaphor. They continue to fascinate us across time because they connect so deeply to the inexpressible emotional and psychological forces at work within us. The mirthfully grotesque violence and fatalism of the Brothers Grimm, the ethereal and sexually disturbing aestheticism of Perrault, the picturesque tragedies of the already-doomed of Andersen, the Baroque earthiness of Basile - these qualities infuse these eight great books, certain to please any lover of fairy tales.
Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
Emily Bronte's strange story of star-crossed and hell-bound lovers Cathy and Heathcliff defies easy categorization. In Wuthering Heights, love is a demonic force, a desire to possess and exploit, to manipulate and vanquish. Its destructive power twists the souls it conquers, driving rebellious, headstrong Cathy and impetuous, embittered Heathcliff into a vortex of maniacal suffering that claims everyone who dares to try to care for them. Few novels plunge so deeply into the murky waters of the subconscious, the Faerie of the human psyche.
Collected Stories - Roald Dahl
Best known for his brilliant and gleefully grotesque children's fiction, Dahl is also the author of some of the most wickedly lurid and perverse adult stories I've ever read. Shocking twists, pornographic sex, queasily uncanny acts that could be supernatural or just sadistically criminal - these are just some of the smutty delights to be found in these stories. Imagine Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Witches in a steroid-fueled, libidinous rage and that will give you an idea of what to expect. Everyman's Library has published a single volume edition with the complete published stories, which I highly recommend.
Hell - Kathryn Davis
Kathryn Davis's fiction dwells in the liminal spaces of biological existence; space, time, and psyche have porous boundaries and her novels are, in a large sense, a mapping of these overlapping realities and worlds. Because of this, her books are particularly resistant to description. Hell is, at the simplest level, a multi-layered narrative in which a nineteenth century housewife goes mad and is haunted by the spirit of the Napoleonic culinary wunderkind Antonin Careme, a troubled household in the 1950s falls to pieces as one of the daughters succumbs to tuberculosis and loses a friend in a possible homicide, and the crumbling denizens of a dollhouse suffer an existential crisis, but this is a book that has to be read to be believed.
The Third Eye - Mollie Hunter
Though well-known in her native Scotland and elsewhere in the United Kingdom, Mollie Hunter has become undeservedly obscure in the United States. The Third Eye is a coming-of-age tale that is richly imagined and shot through with a sense of possibilities, supernatural and otherwise. Jinty is a young girl possessed of a strange power, which she calls her third eye, that propels her to the center of the drama at the Earl of Ballinford's death, victim of the legendary Ballinford doom. Other wonderful novels by Hunter include The Kelpie's Pearls, The Mermaid Summer, and A Stranger Came Ashore.
The Fifth Child - Doris Lessing
Whether you love children or can't stand to be in the same room with them, The Fifth Child will give you nightmares. This slim novella by the brilliant feminist author of The Golden Notebook is about Harriet and David Lovett, a young couple whose desire for the perfect domestic haven spurs them on to have more and more children. Their fifth child, Ben, voraciously and constantly hungry, violent and physically rugged, is the embodiment of everything we fear our children could be, seemingly both sub- and super-human. Lessing never simplifies the horror of the dilemma: Ben is what he is - evil by nature, but no goblin.
Among the Shadows - L. M. Montgomery
Montgomery, a favorite on this blog, is best known for Anne of Green Gables and most of her work is similarly optimistic in tone, focusing on the domestic lives of girls and young women, usually in the beautiful setting of Prince Edward Island. She was, however, fascinated by ghost stories (as are many of her characters, particularly Anne and Emily Byrd Starr). This collection of short stories contains a wide selection of work in a darker, more somber tone, including several stories about encounters with the supernatural, as well as alcoholism, guilt and absolution, murder, and pre-marital sex.
The Garden Behind the Moon - Howard Pyle
This lovely fantastic novel weaves numerous familiar fairy stories into its delicate and surprisingly complex tale, at its simplest level the story of David, a young boy who follows the Moon-Angel's voice along the path to the garden behind the moon. Intensely preoccupied with death, the book, first published in 1895, owes much to the Victorian cult around children, itself a product of high child mortality rates and a morbid fascination with the clashing of Christian doctrine and Darwin's theory of evolution.
The Enchantress of Florence - Salman Rushdie
An intricate labyrinth of stories within stories within stories, this exquisitely written novel has the scope and breadth of The Arabian Nights and the post-modern complexities of a novel by Umberto Eco. Set in the Mughal and Ottoman Empires and in Renaissance Florence, The Enchantress of Florence follows a young Italian who claims to be descended from the emperor Akbar, the son of an exiled Indian princess. Rushdie's sensual prose evokes a richly erotic phantasmagoria of exotic beauty, the stuff of decadent dreams.
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The commercial aircraft manufacturing attractiveness index ranks US states using a weighted average of costs, workforce, and the current number of aerospace companies. An overall composite ranking is then applied to each state. A lower overall number indicates a most attractive ranking in all categories.
PwC created commercial aircraft manufacturing attractiveness ranking indices for US states and for selected countries using a weighted average of variables: costs (taxes, business climate, energy), workforce (including available aerospace technicians, engineers, mechanics, education attainment) and number of aerospace companies. Cost variables for both rankings focused on third-party evaluations of taxes, business climate, and cost of electricity. The country workforce ranking incorporates education as it pertains to secondary and tertiary enrollment, graduate enrollments in engineering programs, and labor productivity; while the state workforce ranking incorporates data on available aerospace technicians, engineers, mechanics, and education attainment. For both the country and state rankings, the size of the existing industry examines the number of aerospace and related companies. Population was also included in the size of industry ranking by country.
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A few days have passed since the Boy Scouts of America made the historic move to drop the ban on gay Scouts. GLAAD posted immediate reactions to the vote for inclusion hours after it happened. Over the past few days, more reactions have been offered on this issue.
The Religious Institute, an organization focused on advocating for sexual health, education, and justice in faith communities and society, issued a statement that they are celebrating the new policy with hopes that it will provide safety and inclusiveness for all members.
"The Religious Institute celebrates the Boy Scouts of America voting by a large margin to welcome young men who are gay into scouting. This opens the Boy Scouts to thousands of young men who have not previously been welcome," stated Rev. Debra W. Haffner, executive director. "We urge the Boy Scouts to provide training and support to troops so that they are fully inclusive and safe for all members. And we offer prayers that the Boy Scouts in the not too distant future will also welcome all qualified adult scout leaders without discrimination based on their sexual orientation."
The Religious Institute works side-by-side with LGBT advocacy organizations to promote equality throughout all aspects of life.
The Association of Welcoming & Affirming Baptists also issued a statement in response to the lift of the ban. The statement said that they pray the decision will allow for more inclusive churches to charter BSA troops now that they are heading in a more inclusive direction.
"The Association of Welcoming & Affirming Baptists affirms the decision of the Boy Scouts of America to allow all boys to participate in their programs regardless of their sexual orientation. We pray that this opening will help churches that want to charter a troop but are concerned about the policies of exclusion to feel more confident as the BSA moves toward a fully inclusive policy. We look forward to the day when scout leaders can be who they are too, and when the grounding ethics of BSA will be fully realized as an historic organization devoted to nurturing young men as they become good citizens and fully actualized human beings."
The Jewish community is also in favor of the Scouts decision. A.J. Kreimer, the chairman of the National Jewish Committee on Scouting, commented in favor of the outcome in the Global Jewish News Source.
“Anything we can do to get more young people, especially Jewish youth, involved is a great day for Judaism and for Scouting." stated A.J. Kreimer, chairman of the National Jewish Committee on Scouting.
Even though these religious organizations, as well as many others, support this victory, they recognize that there is much more work to do. Faith organizations will continue to advocate towards full equality in Scouting, which would include not only gay Scouts, but also gay leaders.
GLAAD, in association with Change.org, Scouts for Equality (SFE), and the Inclusive Scouting Network (ISN), delivered over 1.8 million signatures to the BSA urging them to drop their discriminatory ban on gay members.
For photos, video, resources and more, please visithttp://glaad.org/scouts
For a full timeline of events leading up to today's vote, please visithttp://glaad.org/scouts
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Thoughts of making a university more strategically poised for success invariably draw attention to issues of structure, roles and responsibilities of the players within the university community. The following questions randomly probe the functions of presidents, deans, academic deans/vice presidents, and academic department chairs. The purpose of the questions is to stimulate the assessment of what obtains in a current situation and what might otherwise happen is the same situation.
What is the role of a university president? Is it to craft a vision for the constituencies served and to thereafter create a macro environment that would allow the fulfillment of that vision? Should the major part of a president’s role be more ambassadorial (externally focused) than managerial (internally focused)? Should the role of the president include lobbying for the establishment of national policies that would create the highway on which the university can deliver on it promises? Should the role of the president also include giving publicity to the vision, capabilities, achievements, and needs of the university? Should not a dominant characteristic or qualification of a president be the ability to communicate effectively; having great powers of persuasion?
What if a college dean had a job description that mimics that of a president of a university, but only that the jurisdiction extends only to the college presided over, but still externally focused? What if the vision created by the president represents the combination of the individual visions crafted by deans? Should not the function of deans as heads of colleges and schools be the nuclei of around which all other functions of the university, including that of the president, revolve? Should not deans wield great clout on a university campus, not excluding financial freedom, internal policy creation, and marketing and recruitment initiatives? Should not a major part of what deans do be to recruit ideal faculty and students, and to be engaged in accessing funds for the execution of programmes and projects (including building new facilities)? Should they not lead the charge to adjusting curricula and programme offerings to be more market responsive? Should not deans be most aggressive in maintaining links with alumni from their colleges/schools/faculties? Should not deans, like presidents be excellent communicators?
Should the role of the department chair or vice president of academic administration be primarily internally focused - ensuring that internal operational outcomes are achieved in accordance with plans, policies, procedures. Wouldn't that mean that college deans and department chairs are accountable to the academic dean in terms of their meeting their respective external and internal targets? Should chairs be charged with responsibility of monitoring the daily operations of the department including scheduling of classes, student related matters, faculty evaluation and other related matters, leaving interface with the dean as per routine college meetings and assemblies?
Should there be a provost who oversees all non-academic internal functions? And in terms of rank or organizational structure, should it not be the president, the vice president or dean of academic administration, the Provost, college deans, departmental chairs, and then everybody else would make up the support system?
A deliberate effort should be made to provide ongoing training to ensure that everyone performs optimally.
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Here's a bit of advice to SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro, who has made it abundantly clear that she intends to make further changes to regulations governing money market funds: Quit while you are ahead.
Ostensibly in an effort to make money funds safer for investors, she seems determined to compel changes that likely would make it more expensive for investors to buy money market funds, thereby reducing their already paltry yields and perhaps forcing many of them out of the business. If their usefulness as a cash management tool is significantly reduced by the changes being considered, there is a risk that investors will turn to vehicles that are far less stable, regulated and transparent.
Rather than regulate money market funds out of business, the Securities and Exchange Commission should continue to monitor the effectiveness of the dramatic rule changes it made in 2010. Those changes, which involved increasing the cash that such funds are required to keep on hand to meet redemptions, and boosting the credit standards for the kinds of securities in which they invest, already have proved more than adequate to assure that money market funds are safe for investors.
Like the rule changes made two years ago, the changes being encouraged by Ms. Schapiro are intended to prevent a panic like the one that occurred amid the 2008 financial meltdown, when the Reserve Primary Fund broke the buck due to its investments in Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., which became worthless after the firm went bankrupt.
The run on the Reserve Primary Fund triggered massive and unprecedented redemptions at many other money market funds.
In the span of two days, investors redeemed $40 billion from the Reserve Fund, or about two-thirds of the fund's total assets. In the span of one week, they yanked $310 billion from prime money market funds, a figure that represented 14% of the funds' total assets at the time.
The run on the Reserve Primary Fund and other money funds also brought short-term-credit markets to a standstill when the funds curtailed their purchases of commercial paper, which many companies rely on to fund their operations.
The bloodbath finally ended when the federal government intervened and guaranteed investor assets held in money funds.
The SEC should be commended for the comprehensive changes it made to money fund regulation in 2010. Without a doubt, those changes made them safer without compromising their usefulness.
The same can't be said of the proposals now on the table.
One regulation would require the funds to build a cash cushion, ranging from 1% to 3% of assets, to help absorb losses.
The main concern about this proposal is that it could have the unintended consequence of increasing the chances of a run on a fund rather than decreasing it. Investors in a fund whose shares have dipped below the $1 mark may rush to get their money out of the fund before the cushion is exhausted.
Requiring the funds to maintain a cash cushion also would drive up costs and, with interest rates as low as they are now, drive more people to look for yield in higher-risk vehicles.
Another idea on the table is to require funds to have floating rather than stable net asset values.
Although a floating NAV might reduce the chances of a run by making it clear to investors that money funds aren't bank accounts — and therefore don't come with a guarantee against a loss of principal — it also probably would lead to a severe contraction of the industry. Many state and local governments, as well as individual investors and companies that use money funds as a cash management tool, would stop regarding the funds as stable financial vehicles in which cash earmarked for future investments or expenses can reside safely.
Again, money fund investors would be forced to look for alternative investment vehicles outside of banks.
Money market funds are one of the greatest financial product innovations of our time. Their safety and usefulness should be enhanced, not diminished, by regulation.
The rule changes made by the SEC in 2010, which were tested last summer by the debt crisis in the eurozone, are enough to prevent a repeat of the run on money funds such as the one we saw in 2008.
Let's not allow zeal for the perfect to be the enemy of the good.
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The kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the largest country in the Middle East. It occupies four-fifths of the Arabian Peninsula. Saudi Arabia is bordered on the north by Jordan, Iraq, and Kuwait; on the west by the Red Sea; on the south by Yemen and Oman; and on the east by the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, and the Persian Gulf.
The Prophet Muhammad was born in Mecca in A.D. 570; his faith, Islam, soon swept the Middle East and North Africa. Islam's two holiest cities, Mecca and Medina, are located in Saudi Arabia. The modern Saudi state was formed by a series of conquests by Ibn Saud between 1902 and 1932.
The economy of Saudi Arabia is based on its vast petroleum reserves. The country is a leader of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
Saudi Arabia may be divided into four zones: the Red Sea coastal plain and adjacent mountains; the central plateau, including the Nafud and Dahna deserts; the coastal plain of the Persian Gulf; and the Rub al-Khali desert in the south.
The western coastal plain extends for about 1,450 km (900 mi) along the Red Sea coast. In the north, near the Gulf of Aqaba, mountains reaching 610 m (2,000 ft) separate the coastal plain from the interior highlands. In the south the Asir highlands, rising from the coastal plain, contain the country's highest elevation at Jebel Sawda (3,133 m/10,279 ft).
The central plateau varies in elevation from 1,065 to 1,370 m (3,500 to 4,500 ft); it is about 485 km (300 mi) wide. The plateau is ringed by the Nafud, a red-sand desert to the north; the Dahna, a long narrow belt of sand to the east; and the Tuwayq Mountains to the south.
The eastern coastline extends along the Persian Gulf coast for about 565 km (350 mi) from Kuwait to the United Arab Emirates. It is an area of low relief, sedimentary rocks, gravel and sand, and salt flats and mudflats. This area contains the nation's petroleum reserves. The southern desert, the Rub al-Khali ("Empty Quarter"), is the largest continuous sand body in the world. It covers more than 647,000 km2 (250,000 mi2).
The climate is to a large extent determined by the southerly shift in wind patterns during winter months. This brings cyclonic systems and thus rain and cooler weather. Most areas receive less than 100 mm (4 in) of rain per year. In the Rub al-Khali, ten years may pass without precipitation. On the west coast, cyclones provide some additional rainfall. The Asir highlands receive monsoonal rainfall that may exceed 255 mm (10 in) per year. Summers are hot throughout the country, with daytime temperatures often exceeding 49° C (120° F). Winter is cooler, with average temperatures of 23° C (74° F) at Jidda and 14° C (58° F) at Riyadh.
The country has no permanent rivers, but wadis, or intermittent streams that flow following periods of rainfall, are numerous. Vegetation is scant. It consists mostly of xerophytic (adapted to arid conditions) herbs and shrubs. Animal life includes ibex, wildcats, baboons, wolves, and hyenas in the highlands. Since the 1980s, in an effort to preserve its rapidly-vanishing wildlife, the government has established numerous protected areas. Many species have been rescued from near-extinction through state-of-the-art captive breeding programs. Small birds are found in the oases. Tropical fish inhabit offshore waters. Only about 1% of the land is under cultivation.
Mineral resources are abundant. Saudi Arabia is the Middle East's largest oil producer. It contains more than 25% of the world's known reserves. It also has the world's fourth-largest reserves of natural gas, after Russia, Iran, and Qatar. Numerous other minerals exist, including gold, silver, iron, copper, zinc, manganese, tungsten, lead, sulfur, phosphate, soapstone, asbestos, and feldspar. Little exploitation has occurred, however. Much of the country's water comes from desalinization plants.
The vast majority of Saudi Arabians are Arabs; they are descendants of the indigenous tribes and still tribally affiliated. Some Iranians live along the Persian Gulf coast. The economy is dependent on foreign labor. In 2003 about 40% of the population consisted of foreigners. Faced with rising Saudi unemployment, the government announced plans to reduce the foreign population by closing additional professions to foreigners and limiting any one country to no more than 10% of the total foreign population. The new regulations were likely to have the most significant effect on the large number of workers from India.
Arabic, the official language, is spoken by all; various dialects exist. English is understood by some residents of the eastern oil-producing areas, Riyadh, and Jidda. About 85% of the population are Sunnite Muslims. Most Sunnites are of the strict Wahhabi sect. About 15% are Shiite Muslims; they are found in the east. Because of the strict adherence to Islam, the sexes are strictly segregated in public. Nevertheless, educational and job opportunities for women are increasing.
The population is highly urbanized. Riyadh (the capital), Jidda, Mecca, al-Taif, Medina, Dhahran, al-Damman, and Hofuf are the major cities. Many rural residents are nomadic Bedouin rather than settled cultivators. The Rub al-Khali and Nafud are virtually uninhabited; most other areas have low population densities. Densities are somewhat higher on the west coast, around Riyadh, and in the eastern oil fields.
The public educational system has expanded greatly in recent years. Schooling is free at all levels. Up to one-third of the public-school curriculum is devoted to religious topics. Students who fail to pass their religious courses are not allowed to advance to the next grade. In recent years, religious schooling has taken an increasingly anti-Western tone. By 2004, however, the education ministry had removed material offensive to Christians and Jews and that which glorified the concept of holy war from Saudi textbooks. It also said that extremists would not be allowed to teach in Saudi schools. The Islamic University (1961) at Medina is one of three universities stressing Islamic studies. Secular universities include King Saud University (formerly Riyadh University, 1957); the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (1963) at Dhahran; and King Abdul-Aziz University (1967) in Jidda. Medical care is free for all citizens, but rural health facilities remain limited.
The Arabian peninsula has a tradition of formal poetry that goes back to the 5th and 6th centuries A.D., before the time of Muhammad. Poetry and storytelling are common folk traditions. The Koran limits public performances of music and dance and prohibits the making of graven images by artists. Hand-lettered Korans are produced with illustrations based on complex geometric and floral designs.
Prior to the discovery of petroleum in 1936, the economy depended on pilgrims visiting Mecca and Medina and on date exports. Saudi Arabia is still among the world's leading producers of dates, but today oil dominates the economy. The government used petroleum profits to create the infrastructure needed to transform Saudi Arabia into a diversified industrial state. Much of this infrastructure—such as water, power, and communications systems—is now aging. Also, the country has not yet been successful in building an economy that will provide enough jobs once the oil runs out.
As oil revenues have declined, emphasis has shifted from construction to production. Between 1981 and 2001, as a result of falling world oil prices, the huge price tag for the Persian Gulf War (estimated at $55 billion), and a rate of population growth that is one of the world's highest, the nation's per-capita income decreased by an estimated 75% in real terms. This posed a threat to political stability in a country where lavish government handouts have been used to guarantee support for the regime. Subsidies for electricity, gasoline, and other services were reduced; the waiting list for an interest-free housing loan increased to 10 years; and military spending and foreign aid were cut in an effort to curb persistent budget deficits. Although Saudi Arabia was still relatively prosperous by world standards, in November 2002 the government announced plans to sell off parts of 20 large state-owned industries in an attempt to reduce its debts.
The situation subsequently improved significantly with a spike in world oil prices, but per-capita oil revenues in 2005 were still about 70% less than they had been in 1980. This was due primarily to population growth. The government has increased spending on health, education, and infrastructure. In 2005 it passed the first across-the-board increase in pay for civil servants in more than two decades.
Because roughly half of the population are under the age of 18, the potential Saudi labor force will increase rapidly in the coming years. The government is trying to create new jobs for Saudi citizens, in part by reducing the foreign labor force and increasing foreign investment. But most industries are capital-intensive rather than labor-intensive. New jobs in the public and private sectors are being created for only about half of the young men currently entering the workforce. The unemployment rate in 2004 was approximately 25%. Many young Saudis, once accustomed to virtually guaranteed lifetime government employment with lavish benefits, remain reluctant to take less-desirable private-sector jobs traditionally performed by foreigners. With questions being raised about when Saudi oil output will peak and begin to decline, the country's long-term outlook remains in question despite its current oil wealth.
Crude oil and petroleum products provide approximately 75% of government revenue. Saudi Arabia is the world's largest petroleum producer and exporter. It generates more than 9 billion barrels of oil per day (2004), most of which is exported. The Saudi share of ARAMCO (now the Saudi Arabian Oil Company), which produces most of the nation's petroleum, increased from 25% in 1973 to 60% in 1974 to 100% in 1980. In 1993, foreign companies were excluded from drilling and exploration efforts. In 2000, however, the government decided to allow foreign oil companies to invest in developing its oil and natural-gas reserves as part of a general effort to open up the economy. Foreigners are also now permitted to own property outside the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
Major industrial centers have been constructed at Jubail on the Persian Gulf and Yanbu on the Red Sea. They are powered by natural gas piped in from the oil fields. In addition to hydrocarbon-based industries such as oil refining, petrochemicals, and fertilizer, manufactures include iron and steel, cement, electrical equipment, and processed foodstuffs.
Despite the lack of water, the government has financed agricultural development to reduce the dependence on imported foods and raise standards of living in rural areas. But many of the country's farms have had to be abandoned when the aquifers beneath them ran dry or became so laden with minerals that they stunted plant growth. Between 1984 and 2003 it was estimated that more than half of the country's nonrenewable fossil water reserves had probably been depleted. The fishing industry is being expanded.
Overland transportation has long been hampered by great distances and the hot and arid climate. In recent years the highway network has been greatly expanded. A causeway linking Saudi Arabia to Bahrain was opened in 1986. Air transport and port facilities have also been modernized. When opened in 1983, King Khalid Airport in Riyadh was the largest airport in the world. Threats to oil shipments on the Gulf led to the construction of pipelines linking oil fields in eastern Saudi Arabia and Iraq to the Red Sea port of Yanbu. Iraqi oil exports via Saudi Arabia were cut off after Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait. The main border crossing between Saudi Arabia and Iraq was reopened to trade in mid-2002, but this trade was once again disrupted during and after the 2003 Iraq War. In 2005, Saudi Arabia became the 149th member of the World Trade Organization.
Owing to its enormous petroleum reserves, Saudi Arabia plays a pivotal role in the global oil market. Crude oil and petroleum products account for roughly 90% of all Saudi exports. Most go to Japan, the United States (which imports about 18% of its oil from Saudi Arabia), South Korea, and Singapore. Hundreds of thousands of devout Muslim pilgrims have long been another source of foreign exchange. A fledgling tourist industry is now being developed. Saudi Arabia has long provided aid to many poorer Muslim nations in Asia and Africa. In an effort to appease its own religious right and prevent social unrest at home, it aided extremist Muslim regimes abroad such as the Taliban in Afghanistan. It also allowed disaffected militant Saudi youths to travel abroad to wage "holy war" in Afghanistan, Chechnya, Kosovo, Bosnia, and elsewhere.
Saudi Arabia is a monarchy. The laws of Islam (Sharia) form the constitution. The king has both executive and legislative power, although an appointed council of ministers performs some of these functions subject to royal veto. Almost all key government positions are held by members of the Saud family, the large, powerful ruling clan. There are no political parties or legislature. Any citizen can submit grievances or requests for aid directly to the king at regular audiences called majalis.
A set of royal decrees announced on Mar. 1, 1992, was intended to modernize and decentralize the political system. Among the announced changes was a new 60-person Consultative Council (inaugurated in December 1993 and expanded to 90 members in 1997 and to 120 members in 2001). A new constitution, a bill of rights, and a new system of selecting successors to the Saudi king were created. In addition, greater autonomy was given to regional and local administrative bodies. Women were allowed to attend meetings of the Consultative Council for the first time in 1999, although they were strictly segregated. A new council representing the major branches of the ruling family held its first meeting in 2000.
Saudi Arabia's judicial system is based on Sharia (Islamic law). In October 2007, King Abdullah announced an overhaul and modernization of the system. The Supreme Judicial Council, which previously had unchecked powers, would now deal only with administrative issues. New appeals courts and specialized general courts were created to bring the system more in line with generally accepted norms in matters of human rights and business.
A nomadic tribal structure has existed over most of the Arabian peninsula for thousands of years. The Minaean kingdom existed in southwestern Arabia during the 12th century B.C. The Sabaean and Himyarite kingdoms were loose federations of city-states that lasted until the 6th century A.D. In the northwest, the Hejaz region grew in importance by the end of the 6th century; it served as a link in the trade route from Egypt and the Byzantine Empire to the east.
The birth (570) of Muhammad in Mecca ushered in a new era in world history. Muhammad began preaching in Mecca but by 622 was forced to move to Medina. In 630 he returned to conquer Mecca. Muhammad died in 632, but his followers quickly spread the faith across the Middle East and beyond. The capital of the Islamic caliphate was moved to the more centrally located Damascus by the ruling Umayyads, and by 692, Arabia lost its political importance and became disunited. The Ottoman Empire nominally ruled much of the peninsula from the 16th century until World War I.
Beginning in 1902, Ibn Saud, a follower of the strict Wahhabi sect of Islam, conquered and unified the Nejd, Hasa, and Hejaz regions. In 1932 the kingdom of Saudi Arabia was created, with Ibn Saud as king. Oil was discovered in 1936, but large-scale drilling did not begin until the end of World War II. Ibn Saud died in 1953. He was succeeded by his son Saud. Saud was deposed in 1964 by the Saudi family council. He was replaced by Faisal, who began modernizing the country. Faisal was assassinated by a nephew in 1975. His successor, Khalid, rejected the 1979 Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty but followed a moderate policy in the Arab-Israeli dispute. Upon Khalid's death in 1982, Crown Prince Fahd assumed the throne.
Saudi security concerns increased after the Islamic revolution in Iran and the 1979 seizure of the Great Mosque in Mecca by Sunni Muslim extremists. Saudi Arabia had supported Iraq against Iran in the Iran-Iraq War (1980–88), but the August 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait was seen as a threat to Saudi security. Saudi Arabia became the base for the U.S.-led multinational force (including 45,000 Saudi troops) that ousted Iraq from Kuwait in the 1991 Gulf War.
In the post–Gulf War period Saudi Arabia faced a revived debate between a powerful elite seeking to preserve the status quo and a new generation of Saudis seeking the modernization and liberalization of Saudi politics and society. A series of royal decrees providing for some political participation by nonroyalty were announced in 1992. An appointed advisory 60-member Consultative Council was inaugurated in December 1993. Domestic discontent was fueled by an economic downturn and opposition to an increasing U.S. military presence. The kingdom's reputation for stability was rocked by terrorist bombing attacks on U.S. facilities in Riyadh (Nov. 13, 1995) and Dhahran (June 25, 1996). An ailing King Fahd handed over management of government affairs to his heir and half brother, Crown Prince Abdullah, for six weeks in early 1996. Thereafter, the prince remained responsible for the day-to-day running of the government. The 1990s were also marked by persistent disputes with Yemen over the largely undemarcated border between the two nations. The two countries agreed to end their border dispute in 2000; they signed a contract with a German surveying firm to demarcate the disputed line the following year. In October 1999, as relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran improved, the two nations signed a friendship pact. Saudi Arabia criticized Israel's handling of the Palestinian Arab uprising that erupted in the fall of 2000 after the Israeli-Palestinian peace process broke down.
The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States were attributed to the Al Qaeda (al-Qaida) terrorist network headed by Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden (who had earlier been stripped of his Saudi nationality). Subsequently, the Saudi government severed diplomatic relations with the Taliban government in Afghanistan. The Taliban regime continued to shelter bin Laden until it was driven from power by the U.S.-led war on terrorism later that year. In December 2001, King Fahd declared that terrorism was prohibited by Islam. At the same time, the Saudi government appealed to the United States to increase pressure on Israel to accept a Palestinian state; it maintained that U.S. support for Israel had helped to inflame anti-U.S. sentiments in the Muslim world prior to the September 11 attacks.
The Saudi government has long walked a tightrope between its country's religious conservatism and its support for the United States. The fact that 15 of the hijackers who carried out the attacks in the United States were Saudis, however, indicated the disastrous, if unintended, consequences of the Saudi government's attempts to appease or export religious extremists critical of both their own government and the United States. In October 2001, in what was seen as one of the most serious threats to the legitimacy of the Saudi monarchy in its long history, several prominent Saudi Muslim clerics instructed their followers to wage war on Americans in Saudi Arabia and on the royal family for allowing U.S. troops on holy soil. While most Saudis are religious conservatives, the number of those seeking violent change are a small minority. Nevertheless, declining living standards and the excesses of some of the estimated 30,000 members of the extended royal family have fueled a resurgence of militant Islam and a desire for a more equitable distribution of wealth and a more open political system.
In March 2002, Crown Prince Abdullah put forth a controversial new peace plan proposing that all Arab nations agree in advance to normalize relations with Israel if it withdrew from the territories it had seized in 1967. This plan garnered a great deal of attention as Palestinian-Israeli violence continued to mount and was unanimously approved late in March at an Arab League summit in Beirut. It was significant in that it marked the first time that the Arab world had agreed on a framework for regional peace, although many of its provisions were unacceptable to Israel. The following month, massive demonstrations opposing Israel's reoccupation of a number of areas formerly under Palestinian control were staged in Saudi Arabia and throughout the Arab world. When Abdullah visited the United States and met with U.S. president George W. Bush in late April, he warned that U.S. interests in the Middle East were likely to be severely damaged if the Bush administration did not alter a policy generally viewed as tilting excessively toward Israel. A leaked July Pentagon briefing highly critical of Saudi Arabia further strained relations between the two countries. So did the Saudi government's announcement that it would not allow the United States to use Saudi bases for an attack on Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. Nonetheless, the Bush administration continued to support the Saudi regime.
The Saudi government publicly opposed the U.S.-led war against Iraq launched in March 2003. Although it said that its armed forces would not participate in military action against Iraq under any circumstances, it quietly allowed U.S. forces to use an important command center near Riyadh and coalition aircraft to fly over its long border into Iraq. This was because a U.S. victory would eliminate the need to have U.S. forces stationed in Saudi Arabia to counteract an Iraqi threat. The war also led to a financial windfall for Saudi Arabia as world oil prices and Saudi production increased to make up for lost Iraqi production. After the military campaign in Iraq had largely ended, the United States announced that it would withdraw its forces and aircraft from Saudi Arabia and close its base there. The U.S. forces, whose presence in Saudi Arabia had been used by terrorists to justify attacks on U.S. targets, were transferred to Qatar.
Just before midnight local time on the evening of May 12–13, 2003, a series of coordinated explosions rocked Riyadh. They were the latest and most serious of a string of attacks on Western targets that had prompted the U.S. State Department to warn Americans against nonessential travel to Saudi Arabia. A month after the bombings, the Saudi government announced that it had fired several hundred clerics and suspended more than a thousand others for preaching intolerance. It also introduced regulations to reduce the flow of Saudi money to overseas terrorist groups as part of an extensive effort to distance itself from accusations that it was funding Islamic militants.
In January 2004 the Saudi government announced that it had discovered Al Qaeda terrorist training camps in the Saudi desert. This was the first official confirmation that Al Qaeda had infiltrated Saudi Arabia. A 25-hour terrorist attack in Khobar (the headquarters for many foreign oil companies) in which 22 civilians were killed took place in late May. On June 18, Islamic militants beheaded U.S. engineer Paul Johnson, escalating tensions and causing scores of expatriate workers to leave the country. At that time, it was estimated that 100,000 Westerners, including 20,000 to 30,000 Americans, were working in the petroleum and other industries in Saudi Arabia. Any large-scale exodus would cause severe damage to the Saudi economy.
In response to mounting pressure to introduce democratic reforms, three-stage elections for one-half of the members of municipal councils were held on Feb. 10, Mar. 3, and Apr. 21, 2005. The 2005 polls—the country's first-ever elections since the kingdom was created in 1932—were conducted in accordance with international standards, although women were not allowed to vote and turnout was low. Most seats went to Islamist candidates endorsed by popular conservative clerics, partly because overtly political gatherings were banned. Subsequently, however, the powerful bureaucracy failed to carry out many of the decisions made by the councils. Nationwide elections for 30% of the members of the Consultative Council were to be held within three years.
King Fahd died on Aug. 1, 2005. Crown Prince Abdullah, who had been de facto king for nearly a decade, formally assumed the monarchy. Another of Ibn Saud's many sons, conservative defense minister Sultan ibn Abd al-Aziz, was named crown prince.
The first attempt to launch a suicide bomb attack on a major Saudi oil production facility, which was foiled by security forces, took place on Feb. 24, 2006. If successful, it would have cut Saudi petroleum exports in half for as long as a year. The Saudi government blamed Hezbollah for starting the fighting that led to Israeli strikes against Lebanon in the summer of 2006. It also called for an end to the Israeli offensive, which caused many civilian casualties. That same year, the Saudi government announced that it would construct a fence along its entire border with Iraq to prevent terrorist infiltration from its chaotic neighbor. Saudi Arabia subsequently continued its more aggressive foreign policy, which was designed in part to counter Iran's growing regional influence. In 2007 it brokered a power-sharing agreement between Hamas and Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas that did not require Hamas to abandon violence or recognize Israel; this agreement soon collapsed. U.S. officials also charged that the Saudi government was aiding Sunni insurgents in Iraq.Ira M. Sheskin
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Anderson, Norman, et al., The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, rev. ed. (1986).
Anscombe, Frederick F., The Ottoman Gulf (1997).
Bronson, Rachel, Thicker than Oil: America's Uneasy Partnership with Saudi Arabia (2006).
Cordesman, Anthony H., Saudi Arabia Enters the Twenty-First Century (2003).
El Mallakh, Ragaei E., Saudi Arabia (1982).
Katakura, Motoko, Bedouin Village (1977).
Kostiner, Joseph, The Making of Saudi Arabia, 1916–1936 (1993).
Long, David E., Culture and Customs of Saudi Arabia (2005), and The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (1998).
Looney, Robert E., Economic Development in Saudi Arabia (1990).
Mackey, Sandra, The Saudis, rev. ed. (2002).
Masood, Rashid, Economic Diversification and Development in Saudi Arabia (1989).
Ménoret, Pascal, The Saudi Enigma: A History (2005).
Metz, Helen Chapin, ed., Saudi Arabia: A Country Study (1993).
Munro, Alan, An Arabian Affair: The Gulf War from Saudi Arabia (1996).
Rasheed, Madawi al-, Contesting the Saudi State: Islamic Voices from a New Generation (2007), and A History of Saudi Arabia (2002).
Safran, Nadav, Saudi Arabia (1985).
Simmons, Matthew R., Twilight in the Desert: The Coming Saudi Oil Shock and the World Economy (2005).
Unger, Craig, House of Bush, House of Saud (2004).
Wilson, Peter W., and Graham, Douglas F., Saudi Arabia: The Coming Storm (1994).
Wilson, Rodney, et al., Economic Development in Saudi Arabia (2002).
Wynbrandt, James, A Brief History of Saudi Arabia (2004).
Yassini, Ayman al-, Religion and State in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (1985).
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Owls are intriguing birds that easily capture the attention and curiosity of birders. These facts may help clear up a bit of their mystery and reveal what a hoot owls really are.
- Many owl species have asymmetrical ears. When located at different heights on the owl’s head, their ears are able to pinpoint the location of sounds in multiple dimensions. Ready, aim, strike.
- The eyes of an owl are not true “eyeballs.” Their tube-shaped eyes are completely immobile, providing binocular vision which fully focuses on their prey and boosts depth perception.
- Owls can rotate their necks 270 degrees. A blood-pooling system collects blood to power their brains and eyes when neck movement cuts off circulation.
- A group of owls is called a parliament. This originates from C.S. Lewis’ description of a meeting of owls in The Chronicles of Narnia.
- Owls hunt other owls. Great Horned Owls are the top predator of the smaller Barred Owl.
- In fact, owls are insanely good hunters. Check out this video to learn why:
- The tiniest owl in the world is the Elf Owl, which is 5 - 6 inches tall and weighs about 1 ½ ounces. The largest North American owl, in appearance, is the Great Gray Owl, which is up to 32 inches tall.
- The Northern Hawk Owl can detect—primarily by sight—a vole to eat up to a half a mile away.
- In fat years when mice are plentiful, usually monogamous Boreal Owls are apt to be promiscuous. Because easy prey means less work for parents feeding their young, males have been caught mating with up to three females, while females have been seen with at least one beau on the side.
- Barn Owls swallow their prey whole—skin, bones, and all—and they eat up to 1,000 mice each year.
- Northern Saw-whet Owls can travel long distances over large bodies of water. One showed up 70 miles from shore near Montauk, New York
- Not all owls hoot! Barn Owls make hissing sounds, the Eastern Screech-Owl whinnies like a horse, and Saw-whet Owls sound like, well, an old whetstone sharpening a saw. Hence the name.
- Owls are zygodactyl, which means their feet have two forward-facing toes and two backward-facing toes. Unlike most other zygodactyl birds, however, owls can pivot one of their back toes forward to help them grip and walk.
To learn more about these fascinating creatures, download the Audubon Bird Guide: Owls app now free on iTunes. This interactive guide to the 19 owl species of North America features both in-depth owl information and fun games and quizzes. Download it now.
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Last summer, IBM announced the formation of the consortium, following its decision to license the Power architecture. The OpenPower Foundation, the actual entity behind the consortium, opened up the Power architecture technology, including specs, firmware and software under a license. Firmware is offered as open source. Originally, OpenPower was the brand of a range of System p servers from IBM that utilized the Power5 CPU. Samsung’s products currently utilize both x86 and ARM-based processors.
The intention of the consortium is to develop advanced servers, networking, storage and GPU-acceleration technology for new products. The four priority technical areas for development are system software, application software, open server development platform and hardware architecture. Along with its announcement of Samsung’s membership, the organization said that Gordon MacKean, Google’s engineering director of the platforms group, will now become chairman of the group. Nvidia has said it will use its graphics processors on Power-based hardware, and Tyan will be releasing a Power-based server, the first one outside IBM.
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Check out the latest articles on applied sociology posted in our “Documents” section, under the Resources tab. The articles discuss the issues faced by non-academic sociologists from Australia, as well as the synergy between applied and academic sociological practices.
The first article introduces the themes and issues of interest to the Applied Sociology Thematic Group, which is a research network within The Australian Sociological Association. Download the article from the Applied Sociology Documents section.
The second article briefly engages the idea that applied sociology is the “other” of academic sociology, before making the argument that there are actually many important intersections between academic and applied sociological practices. The author illustrates this argument with an example from her research on national security issues. Download the article from the Applied Sociology Documents section.
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Extend your left arm as far wide as possible while the rest of your body remains stationary.
Crouch a little to your right and make an arch with your arms to lock it.
Polka Dot It
Shuffle with your left foot towards the left while you wag the right hand’s index finger to this step. Shuffle only a couple of times.
To countrify it, you will need to move your right heel in a way that you raise your foot, move back and do the same with the left coming forward and go back into your original position. Move your body along.
Hip Hop It
Move your body from higher position to a lower position and bend your legs as well. Do the same with your arms in a short semi arch. Make three movements.
Hawk in the Sky
Spread your arms wide open and bring them close. Make a hawk as if it is flapping its wings. Move your left foot on its heel with the foot in an upward direction.
Side to Side
Overlap your arms on top of each other and move them from one side to the other, keep your lower body stationary and make this movement with the help of the upper torso.
Jump to the Left
Scope your left foot and change you stance quickly to the right and scope with your right foot as well.
Stick It and Glide
Make punches of both hands and as you move down, put your foot down hard and move the knuckles down. Then quickly slide down in an artful manner with your hands spreading out coming from a lower level to a slightly higher one.
Zig Zag Touch
Do a zig zag with your right foot and then raise your right foot and touch the heel with your left hand behind your back.
Across the Floor
The next step is to move across the floor. Let your right leg guide you and move towards the right side in a hip dancing style with the right foot sliding just a touch.
Shuffle in Diagonal
Making flapping arms movement independently and first move to the back on the left and then make a diagonal movement to the right, shuffling and moving to the back one again.
Hit the Drums
Kick with the left foot and punch down with your right and do the same alternating hands and arms and put your hands on the hips.
180 Degree Twist
Do a 180 degree twist from back to front.
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a) To promote activities for educational and socio-economic development of the Society both in rural and urban by various training programmers, source etc.
b) To the youths for their future economic guarantee for their self employment and absorption.
c) To organize training and awareness programs ,etc. on the rurl development program an policies of the government.
d) To organize workshops/seminars/conference etc. on issues relating to improve the quality of life in rural areas.
Sharada Welfare Society, formed in 2007 by Mr Chandra Shekhar Jha. It is also registered under Societies Registration Act 1860 and NITI AAYOG Govt.of India and Affiliated by ″United Nation’s Global Market Place (UNGM),USA″ and Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan,New Delhi.And also Affiliated by National Skill Development Corporation⟨NSDC⟩ and Skill India.Supported By Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and Ministry of Women and Child Development.
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If you cringe at the high-pitched squeal of a dentist's drill, you're not alone. Studies have shown it's that very sound that makes people anxious about going to the dentist.
"It's been demonstrated that people's blood pressures rise as soon as they hear the sound, even if they're not sitting in the chair yet," said Dr. Mark Wolff, professor and chair of the Department of Cariology and Comprehensive Care at the New York University College of Dentistry.
"It's one of many triggers that make people nervous about coming to the dentist," said Dr. Denis Kinane, dean of the University of Pennsylvania's School of Dental Medicine in Philadelphia.
For those who fear the sound of the dental drill, there's a new technology that will make getting fillings sound easier.
A British dentist has developed a device that filters out the noise of the drill. Patients can still hear other sounds, such as the dentist talking.
"The way that technology works is it listens to the sound, then takes that sound and puts the exact opposite wave around it and if you put two sound waves together with one going in and another going in the opposite direction, there's no sound that comes out," said Wolff.
This particular device isn't on the open market yet, so dentists haven't had the chance to try it out on patients. There aren't many products that are very effective at drowning out the drill noise, but dentists say they do what they can, and encourage patients to do the same.
"Most of my patients that don't like the sound of the drill are usually comforted by music or something that distracts them from the noise," said Dr. Ruchi Sahota, a Fremont, Calif.-based consumer adviser for the American Dental Association. "I encourage patients to bring iPods or listen to music, but keep the music at a level where they can still hear my instructions."
"Some dentists try other methods to distract patients, like having an assistant touch patients on the shoulder," said Kinane.
Wolff said he's tried noise-cancelling headphones and electric drills, but neither option has been effective. Noise-cancelling headphones don't mask the high-frequency drill sound, and the electric drills also emit a high-pitch sound.
"We can also sometimes use lasers that can cut through enamel, and there are other instruments that make different noises," said Kinane.
Dentists say it's unlikely that drills will change very much. In order to be effective, the bits have to move very fast, which is what makes that shrieking sound.
With so few options available to help silence the drills, dentists say they welcome new technology that can help patients relax.
"Anything that can help take something out of the environment that causes this anxiety I am absolutely willing to try it," said Wolff.
Until the British inventors are able to make their new device available, dentists have other ways of allaying their patients' fears.
"When there is anxiety, it's often not the drill, it's just the anxiety of going to the dentist and having a source of pain in the mouth," said Sahota.
She recommends that patients find a supportive dentist and talk with the dentist about their fears.
"The most important thing is comfort and being comfortable as soon as they walk in," she said.
Above all else, dentists stress the importance of good oral hygiene that could help people avoid the drill entirely.
"Brush twice a day, floss once and see the dentist regularly. Then, they don't have to get into positions where they have to hear the drill," said Sahota.
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This title contains everything you need to know for an out-of-this-world travel experience. “My Tourist Guide to the Solar System” brings you amazing digital artwork with fun facts to present space as you’ve never seen it before. Take a day trip to the planets and hike along the Mariner Valley on Mars and grab yourself a souvenir icy pebble from a flight through Saturn’s rings. Amazing illustrations and digital artworks will take you on a spellbinding tour of the planets, moons, and asteroids. This goes beyond the realm of regular space books – it’s out of this world.
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This magical event has become a social phenomenon in New York City.
ew Yorkers have witnessed an urban solar phenomenon, with the Sun setting in alignment with the city’s skyscrapers and giving an effect fans say is reminiscent of Wiltshire’s Stonehenge. Welcome to Manhattanhenge.
Twice every year amateur photographers gather in carefully-selected spots to set up tripods and wait to capture the ultimate sunset.
On Wednesday night at8:25 local time the east-west lying streets of the city’s famous grid system neatly framed the setting sun, creating golden glows New Yorkers rarely see.
During the phenomenon, the Sun appears to be nestled perfectly between the skyscraper corridors, illuminating the north and south sides of the streets.
Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson coined the term Manhattanhenge in 1996, inspired by its likeness to Stonehenge, where the sun aligns with concentric circles of vertical stones on each of the solstices.
“As a kid, I visited Stonehenge in the Salisbury Plain of England and did research on other stone monuments across the British Isles. It was deep within me,” says deGrasse Tyson.
“So I was, in a way, imprinted by the emotional power that terrestrial alignments with the Sun can have on a culture or civilization.”
After coining the term, deGrasse Tyson later published dates and times in Natural History magazine.
Similar “henge” phenomena also occur in other cities with large numbers of skyscrapers and long straight streets – such as Chicago, Montreal and Toronto.
As far as sunset goes – which is the fans’ true Manhattanhenge – the event happens in May and July, and for two nights each. There’s also the winter version, but that’s sunrise.
New York-based photographer Emon Hassan has celebrated Manhattanhenge in his work.
“You’ll see photographers on both sides, lined up, just waiting. In one area, I could go in the middle of the street and get the shot. Photographers risk their lives to get the perfect shot.
It’s cut-throat. You only have a 15 to 20 minute window. It happens pretty quick after you consider dodging traffic.
“I don’t even know how to articulate that feeling. It’s almost like seeing an eclipse.”
Getty photographer Mario Tama shot the event earlier this year. He says the event provides residents with a moment of clarity and beauty in a chaotic world.
“Basically, people in Manhattan are trapped in an island of tall buildings and sometimes can’t even see the sky really.
“It’s a brilliant moment when Manhattanites can connect with the rest of the world and with the Earth. If you get out of the subway at 34th Street, you’ll see two or three hundred people with tripods jumping in the street. Usually when this happens, there has been a shooting or something, so this is really a beautiful thing,” says Tama.
“Amateur and professional photographers can meet up, they tag each other’s work on Twitter and meet other people – people with other interests,” says Hassan.
“Manhattan is one of the most fascinating places and this is such a unique event.”
Its distinctiveness lies in the positioning of the city’s layout.
Manhattan’s Commissioner’s Plan of 1811 established its grid system, which is rotated 29 degrees from true east-west. If Manhattan’s streets were perfectly laid out on an east-west grid, Manhattanhenge would occur facing both east and west on the vernal and autumnal equinoxes.
It also has the advantage over other skyscraper cities because of a relatively clear view to the horizon down some of its streets.
For photographers and people taking an early evening stroll, it is just a beautiful effect of light.
But for astronomers, it’s something more – a chance to engage laymen and enthusiasts with the studies of the cosmos.
DeGrasse Tyson uses the event to make people more interested in astronomy.
“I’ll take any excuse I can get to get people to look up and notice our cosmic environment,” deGrasse Tyson recently told PBS television.
The best vantage point to view the event, which he describes as “the greatest of the cosmos together with the greatest of our urban icons”, is on Park Avenue and 34th Street, looking west, he says.
Virginia Brown, BBC Magazine
Emon Hassan, Photos
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I would like to believe there is a God, but I think it is better to say I’m not sure there is a God and live your life with kindness and respect for people than to say I know there is a God and then do bad things,
More quotes by Rafael Nadal
I like a lot of sports. Especially football – it’s my favourite sport. My uncle played football in Barcelona for nine years and played for Spain in three World Cups.
The bad thing about the tennis calendar is how it is made and obligates you to play tournaments all year. If you want to achieve the most you can and go as high up in the rankings as you can, you have to play from the start to the finish because there are important tournaments from the beginning to the end.
I was shy when I was a kid, I was very shy, but now I think I’ve improved a lot. I can speak OK with the media and with the people. My English is still bad but I feel a little bit better now than before.
I always had the theory that the most important thing is be happy, enjoy what are you doing, and be fresh mentally.
More quotes about Faith
When an ordinary man attains knowledge, he is a sage; when a sage attains understanding, he is an ordinary man.
Most people think that faith means believing something; oftener it means trying something, giving it a chance to prove itself.
I love learning about different religions, and discovering the different ways to worship, and to love the greatness and the higher being that surrounds us all. I definitely believe in a bigger presence, and I really respect all religions; at their core they all teach the same message – community and kindness and looking out for each other.
Great morning!! Dear God, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for EVERYTHING! Especially my healthy baby girl!
There are three books my daughter felt were the most important influences in her life: the Bible, her mother’s cookbook, and her father’s checkbook.
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The Effect on the Economy
of German Policy Toward the Jews
At the...meeting of senior officials called on August 20, 1935, President of the Reichsbank Dr. Schacht first of all described the worrying effects that German policy with regard to Jews was having on the economic situation by quoting specific examples. His account was climaxed by the observation that he was forced to entertain serious doubts whether in view of the increasingly radical trend in the policy on the Jews it would be possible to achieve the economic targets set by the Fuehrer, finding work for the unemployed and reconstruction of the Wehrmacht (and obtaining raw materials from abroad)... Schacht rejected any suggestion that he might be called pro-Jewish. All he was doing was to point out the results for his field of operations of irresponsible incitement against the Jews. Schacht was most sharply critical of the independent operations of certain Party agencies, the Labor Front, the National Socialist Trade and Crafts Association (NS-Hago), as well as the activities of Gauleiter Streicher.
Reich Minister of the Interior Frick supported Mr. Schachts criticism in general and had a memorandum read, which was directed to the Governments of the German Laender, which, in a sharp tone, demanded determined intervention by the police against illegal individual operations directed against Jews. Frick added the explanation that the police would remain absolutely passive if Party Organizations themselves carried out anti-Semitic operations. In that case, however, the responsibility would remain exclusively that of the Party.
Minister of State Wagner, as Representative of the Party, declared that the Party also disapproved of individual operations. But nevertheless the State must take the anti-Semitic mood of the population into account, and proceed with the gradual elimination of the Jews from the economy by means of legislation. This would reduce the unrest that now existed within the population.
Secretary of State von Buelow pointed out the importance of the Jewish Question in foreign affairs. Foreign affairs suffered considerably from the backlash following excesses against the Jews by irresponsible organizations. In view of the approaching Olympics, whose importance for foreign relations could not be overestimated, some arrangement must be made to prevent incidents such as that on the Kurfuerstendamm,* in consideration of the expected influx of foreigners.
It emerged from the discussion that, generally speaking, the Partys Jewish Program should be retained as to substance, but the methods applied be subjected to criticism. There would be legal measures to put a stop to the limitless growth of anti-Semitic activities on the part of irresponsible organizations and private individuals in every possible area of life. But at the same time there would be special legislation to control Jewry in certain areas, particularly in all economic matters; as for the rest, they were on principle to retain their freedom of movement.
No general and unified aim of German policy with respect to the Jews was produced by the debate. The arguments of Ministers responsible for various departments merely revealed that the Jewish Question made their political task more difficult. The observation made by Mr. Schacht that he would not be able to accept responsibility for the completion of the program of Reconstruction unless something were done about anti-Semitic excesses, sounded, in its various forms, like an ultimatum. But Mr. Schacht did not draw the conclusion that he must demand a radical change in the Partys Jewish Program, or even the methods by which it was carried out, for example, a ban on the Stuermer. On the contrary, he maintained the fiction of the 100-percent execution of the Jewish Program.
Both Mr. Schacht and the Party Representative pointed out during the debate that in this question there was a divergence in the basic attitudes of Party and State, which was significant in principle beyond the concrete question under discussion. The representatives of the departments in most cases pointed out practical disadvantages which developed in their areas, while the Party based the need for radical steps against the Jews on political-emotional and abstract-philosophical grounds.
Yad Vashem Archives, JM/2245.
* The reference is to anti-Semitic disturbances which occurred on July 15, on the Kurfuerstendamm, Berlin.
Source: Yad Vashem
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BIOLOGICAL FILTERS FOR AQUACULTURE
What are Biological filters?
Biological filters are devices to culture microorganisms that will perform a given task for us. Different types of organisms will perform different tasks. Part of the art of designing and using biofilters is to create an environment that will promote the growth of the organisms that are needed.
Why do we need biological filters?
We use biofilters to help maintain water quality in recirculating or closed loop systems. Biofilters are also used to improve water quality before water is discharged from a facility. There are many different methods of maintaining good water quality and biofiltration is only one component of the total picture. It is however, a very important and essential component especially for recirculating aquaculture or aquarium systems.
How will biofilters help us?
Depending on design and application, biofilters have the ability to accomplish the following functions. The first three functions are performed by biological means and the last four are done by physical processes that do not depend on living organisms.
1. Remove ammonia
2. Remove nitrites
3. Remove dissolved organic solids
4. Add oxygen
5. Remove carbon dioxide
6. Remove excess nitrogen and other dissolved gasses
7. Remove suspended solids
In general, there are three types of aerobic microorganisms that colonize biofilters for aquaculture. Heterotrophic bacteria utilize the dissolved carbonaceous material as their food source. Nitrosomonos sp. bacteria utilize ammonia as a food source and produce nitrite as a waste product. Nitrospira sp. utilize nitrite as a food source and produce nitrates as a waste product. Nitrosomonos and Nitrospira will both grow and colonize the biofilter as long as there is a food source available. Unfortunately, both of these types of bacteria are relatively slow growing. Heterotrophic bacteria grow about 5 times faster and will out compete the other two types for space if food is available. Since most aquaculture biofiltration systems are designed for the purpose of converting and removing ammonia from the water this presents a problem. There are three ways to deal with this problem. The first is to remove most of the carbonaceous BOD (biological oxygen demand) before the water enters the biofilter. The second method is to provide sufficient extra capacity (surface area) in the biofilter to allow all of the various bacteria to grow. Another method is to have a very long plug flow path through the biofilter. This allows different zones of bacteria to establish themselves in different parts of the biofilter. There are 4 main types of aerobic biological filters and several subcategories of each. Here is a listing of the major types.
I. Recirculated Suspended Solids (Activated sludge)
II. Aquatic Plant Filters A. Unicellular (Microscopic) B. Multicellular (Macroscopic)
III. Fluidized Bed Filters A. Sand Filters B. Bead Filters IV. Fixed film A. Rotating Biological Contactors (RBC) B. Trickling Filters C. Submerged Filters (with or without aeration) 1. Up flow 2. Down flow 3. Horizontal flow 4. Moving Bed Anaerobic filters can also be defined as biofilters but they are never the main biofilter used for maintaining water quality in the culture system. There are two main reasons why they are not suitable. The number one reason is that they are not capable of effectively cleaning the water to the level required. The other reason is that they operate too slowly.
There is however, a couple possible uses for anaerobic filters in aquaculture. Theoretically, one could use an anaerobic filter to convert the nitrates into N2. However, this is a difficult process to control and it is generally less expensive to replace a small amount of water to remove nitrates. Anaerobic biofilters are best suited for processing high strength waste. The sludge produced by the physical filter system is an example of a high strength waste. Processing plant wastes are another candidate for anaerobic digestion. In an integrated production/processing plant these two streams could be combined. The best feature of anaerobic systems is the production of methane. There are specially designed engines that can burn this gas to produce electricity. Using the gas to heat water is another obvious possibility. However, the capital cost of these systems generally limits their use to large operations. General Water Quality Maintenance Principles Not all aquaculture applications have the same requirements for biofiltration. Not only do crops vary in their requirements but different farmers may grow the same crop under different conditions. The biofilter is only one of several components of the system used to maintain water quality.
The functions that the biofilter must perform are determined by the presence and effectiveness of other components. Here are some other components and their effects on the system. Aeration or oxygenating systems If the fish don’t have oxygen you are out of business no matter what else you do. Aeration is always the first step when increasing carrying capacity over an open, lightly loaded system. Mechanical surface aerators, subsurface air bubblers and pure oxygen injection is the typical progression in terms of technology and complexity. All aerobic biofilters require oxygen to operate. If the biofilter does not provide its own oxygen, it will be limited to the oxygen carried in with the water. Particulate Filters Once sufficient oxygen is provided, the next easiest way to improve water quality is to remove suspended solids. This is a more difficult task since particles come in all shapes, sizes and densities. Suspended solids consist primarily of uneaten food and feces which are slightly denser than water. Large particles, above 100 microns, will settle out quite easily. Particles above 50 microns can be filtered out with a screen. Particles below 10 microns are difficult to filter and are generally removed by some other means.
There are many different types of particulate filters that can remove suspended solids. They generally fall into three broad categories. The first type are settling basins, tube settlers, plate settlers, swirl separators and similar systems that allow the particles to drop out of the flowing stream by gravity. They are relatively simple devices and they work well on large particles. Settling systems generally have very low pump head requirements. The second type are sand filters, sock filters, drum filters, disk filters, belt filters and similar systems that mechanically remove the particles from a flowing stream. These types of systems “screen” the particles. The size of particle removed is dependent on the size of the screen or sieve.
Pump head requirements can vary from low to very high. Some biofilters such as bead filters claim to do both particulate filtration and biological filtration. The third type of particulate filter is the floatation or bubble seperator. These are commonly known as protein skimmers. In this device, air is bubbled into a column and the fine particles become attached to the surface of bubbles. The resulting froth or foam is collected and removed from the system. These devices require a certain amount of surfactant type compounds in the water in order to work properly. Although they are not typicaly designed for solids removal, some submerged biofilters will tend to collect fine particles due to the sticky nature of biofilms. This can be both a benefit and a maintenance problem. If the biofilter is not designed for easy cleaning, solids collection can represent a maintenance headache. Removal of suspended solids is important since suspended solids comprise the majority of the BOD (Biological Oxygen Demand).
The BOD not removed by the particulate filtration system must be removed by the biofilter before effective ammonia removal will occur. Thus the size of the biofilter is influenced by the effectiveness of the particulate filter. The way that solids are removed is also important. The best systems remove solids quickly without degrading them in any way. If the solid particles are broken or reduced in size, it makes it easier for nutrients to dissolve into the water. These nutrients must then be removed by another part of the water treatment system or flushed out by water exchange. Time is also important because the longer solids are held in the system, the more degradation will occur. Floating bead filters are particularly bad in this regard since they hold the solids for long periods of time before backflushing. Foam Fractionators Foam fractionators are very useful but sometimes optional pieces of equipment. They are good at removing small particles (under 10 microns) and surface active compounds. They are sometimes referred to as protein skimmers. Since proteins are nitrogenous compounds that degrade into ammonia, foam fractionators can reduce the load on the biofilters. They are definitely useful in systems where water clarity is important. Foam fractionators also add oxygen to the water as a secondary benefit. Unfortunately, foam fractionators do not always work well in fresh water. Ozone Ozone is a powerful oxidizer and sterilant.
It is potentially harmful to fish, humans and most living organisms. It is definitely harmful to biofilters. It is used to improve water clarity and reduce disease transmission. Ozone should never be used directly before a biofilter. If ozone is used upstream of a biofilter, there should be sufficient retention time after the injection point to insure that no ozone residual enters the biofilter. UV light Certain wavelengths of UV (Ultraviolet) light can be used as a sterilant. UV light is often used with ozone. UV light and ozone are complimentary and synergistic. Carbon dioxide strippers Build up of CO2 can be a serious problem in a heavily loaded, intensive recirculating system using pure oxygen. The choice of biofilter has a direct influence on the degree to which CO2 is a problem. In general, any biofilter other than a trickling filter will have a CO2 problem when pure oxygen is used rather than compressed air for aeration. Building a CO2 stripper is not a difficult task but it must be included in the overall design of the system. In order to remove carbon dioxide, there must be a large interfacial area between air and water. The interfacial area can be increased through the use of subsurface aeration, mechanical surface aerators, spray systems or packed columns. Subsurface aeration is not very efficient and mechanical surface aerators are difficult to use in an intensive recirculating systems. Spray systems can be big energy users and they are not very efficient either.
The best choice for intensive and space limited systems is the packed column. Packed columns can be either cross flow or counter flow systems. Packed columns for CO2 stripping require fans to either force (push) air in or induce (pull) air through the packing. Characteristics of the “Ideal” Biofilter Before we examine each type of biofilter, it would be useful to define the characteristics of the ideal biofilter. The following characteristics can be considered a checklist that we can use to rate each of the different types. In some cases, different features may be mutually exclusive but we can use the ideal characteristics as a yardstick or goal. In practice it may be necessary to trade off one feature for another but it doesn’t hurt to know what the ideal should look like. The following list contains most of the pertinent features of a good biofilter.
1. Small footprint – The biofilter should occupy as little space as possible. It is common to have culture tanks and the biofilters under cover for protection and temperature control. Space allocated for biofilters takes away area that could be used for culture tanks.
2. Inert materials of construction – All materials used in the biofilters should be non-corrodible, UV resistant, resistant to rot or decay and generally impervious to chemical attack. In general, marine grade construction materials are required for reasonable working lifetimes.
3. Low capital cost – The biofilter must be inexpensive to purchase or build and cheap to transport to the farm location.
4. Good mechanical strength – The biofilter and its components must be tough enough to withstand the normal wear and tear of a industrial/agricultural environment.
5. Low energy consumption – The energy cost (usually electricity) to operate the biofilters should be as low as possible. The largest energy users are the pumps to move water and compressors to move air.
6. Low maintenance requirements – The biofilters should be self cleaning with little or no care required for the normal life of the crop.
7. Portability – The biofilters should be easily movable to facilitate changes in operation of the facility.
8. Reliability – Ideally the biofilters should have no moving parts that could fail at an inopportune time. If the biofilters does have moving parts, they should be rugged and designed for a continuous operating life of several years.
9. Monitorabilty – It should be easy to observe the operation of the biofilter to insure that it is operating correctly.
10. Controllability – It should be easy to change operating variables to assure optimum performance.
11. Turndown ratio – The biofilters should be able to work under a wide range of water flow rates and nutrient loading levels.
12. Safety – The biofilters should not have any inherent dangers to either the crop or the owner/operator.
13. Utility – The biofilters should accomplish all of the goals set forth in beginning of this paper i.e. removal of ammonia, carbon dioxide, BOD, suspended solids etc.
14. Scalable – A small system should work the same way as a large system. The performance per unit volume should be constant regardless of the size of the system. Now that the characteristics of the “ideal” biofiltration packing have been established, it makes sense to compare the existing medias to that standard. Characteristics of Real Biofilters Activated Sludge Systems Activated sludge systems are not common in aquaculture systems. Activated sludge systems are good at removing carbonaceous BOD in systems with high nutrient loadings. They are commonly used in domestic waste water treatment systems. Activated sludge systems are typically expensive to operate and do not provide the effluent water quality necessary for aquaculture. Aquatic Plant Systems Plants are not normally used for the primary biofilter in aquaculture systems. They do however provide a very good sink for the nitrates produced by a well functioning biofiltration system. The marriage of recirculating aquaculture systems and hydroponics are a good example of efficient use of resources. In addition to commercially valuable plants grown in hydroponics systems, aquatic plants such as hydrilla, cattails, water hyacinths and duck weed can be used to absorb nitrates and phosphorus from waste water. Unicellular plants (algae, diatoms etc.) are sometimes allowed to grow in the culture tanks. Some species such as tilapia are tolerant of poor water quality and can use the algae as food. Systems operated this way are sometimes called “green water” systems to distinguish them from the clear water systems that many species require. Green water systems can be a very cost effective way to culture certain species but they are not recommended for beginners to aquaculture.
Management of these systems requires some experience and specific knowledge. Fluidized bed sand filters Regular sand filters such as the type used for swimming pool filters or potable water filters are virtually worthless as biofilters for aquaculture. The biofilm quickly fills the spaces between the grains and the pressure drop across the filter rises rapidly. Frequent back flushing is required and the active biological film is removed each time. In contrast, fluidized bed filters have been successfully used for aquaculture applications. A sand filter becomes fluidized when the velocity of the water flowing up through the bed is sufficient to raise the grains of sand up and separate each grain from its neighbors. In hydraulic terms, the drag on each particle is sufficient to overcome the weight of the particle and the particle is suspended in the stream of water. The velocity required to fluidize the particle is a function of the shape, size and density of the particle. Fluidized bed sand filters have several very good advantages. They pack more biologically active surface area into a given volume than any other type of biofilter. In addition, the best shape for a fluidized bed sand filters is a tall column. Thus they have a small foot print for a given capacity. They are self cleaning and relatively tolerant of different nutrient loadings. There are also several disadvantages and potential problem areas with fluidized bed sand filters. The fluidized bed sand filter has a relatively high energy requirement because of the high pressure drop necessary to fluidize the sand. The other main problem with sand filters is that the pressure required to fluidize the bed varies depending on the amount of biofilm on the sand particle.
As the biofilm builds on the sand particle the size of the particle increases while the density of the particle decreases. This means that the depth of the bed will tend to increase as the bed ages. It also means that the bed depth will fluctuate as the loading on the bed varies. In order to prevent blowing the sand out of the tank, the tank must be oversized or the flow of water needs to be regulated. Another potential problem is the uniformity of the water flow. In order to completely fluidize the bed, the water needs to be evenly distributed across the whole bed. Two things can happen if the flow is not uniform. One possibility is that the water will channel and short circuit though the bed. This means that the treatment capacity will plummet. Another possibility is that the short circuit will happen near the wall of the vessel and the abrasive sand will eat a hole through the wall of the vessel. Fluidized bed sand filters are limited to the oxygen carried in with the water. This means that the water entering the filter should have a high level of oxygen in order to insure a good level of treatment. Bead filters Bead filters are a relatively new type of biofilter. They are advertised as the complete solution to water quality for recirculating systems. They consist of a closed vessel partially filled with small beads of plastic. Usually the vessel is filled with water and the beads float at the top of the vessel. Water flows up through the bed of beads. The beads are small enough to trap most large suspended solids. In addition, the surface of the beads supports the growth of a biofilm. The small size of the beads means that they have a relatively large surface area per unit volume.
The more sophisticated systems incorporate a mechanical stirring devices such as a propeller on a shaft. Periodically the water flow is shut off and the bed of beads stirred to dislodge the suspended solids. The solids are allowed to settle into the bottom of the vessel and then drained off. This ability to remove suspended solids and act as a biological filter is the main advantage to bead filters. The difficulty in successfully operating bead filters lies in striking a balance between the competing functions. Too frequent washing to remove solids dislodges the biofilm and disrupts the nitrification process. If the beads are not washed enough however, the solids start to plug the bed. The other potential problem is the presence of large amounts of carbonaceous solids which tends to encourage the growth of heterotrophs at the expense of nitrobacter sp. and nitrospira sp. Another drawback to bead filters is their relatively high energy consumption due to their high pressure drop. Also, the water flow and pressure drop are not constant. As the bed of beads becomes loaded with solids, the pressure drop rises and the water flow decreases. This leads to cyclic rather than constant performance. Since bead filters are not aerated, they are limited to the oxygen carried in with the water. In general this is not a problem since retention times are low. Bead filter systems are probably suitable for small, lightly loaded systems where labor costs are low. At this time they are not available for large systems except as multiple units.
RBC (Rotating Biological Contactors) Like much of the equipment used in aquaculture, RBC’s were first used in domestic sewage treatment applications. There are several different types that are manufactured. A typical design consists of plates or disks that are attached to a horizontal shaft. The shaft is located at the surface of the water and it is turned at a very slow speed (1-5 rpm). The disks are half submerged in the water at all times. As they rotate, the biofilm attached to the surface of the disk is alternately exposed to air and then submerged in the water. The original designs used an electric motor to turn the shaft. There is a new design specifically for aquaculture that uses compressed air or pumped water to drive a paddle wheel in the center of the cylinder. These RBC’s float in the water and do not require bearings or elaborate mechanical supports. RBC’s have many advantages.
They offer excellent treatment efficiencies. They require very little energy to operate and can be located in the culture tank to save space if necessary. They do not require additional oxygen and are not limited to oxygen contained in the incoming water. They can remove dissolved BOD or ammonia depending on nutrient levels. They are biologically robust and handle shock loads well. It is easy to observe their operation and visually monitor the biofilm. They only have one major drawback besides cost and that relates to reliability. If there is a power failure or the cylinder stops turning for any reason, the biofilm exposed to the air can dry out. When this happens, the cylinder will be unbalanced and become difficult to turn. Trickling Filters Trickling filters are one of the oldest types of biological filters. Trickling filters filled with rock or coal were built in the late 1800’s for sewage treatment. Trickling filters typically consist of a packing or media contained in a vessel. The water to be treated is sprayed over the top of the media and collected in a sump underneath the media. The surface of the media or packing provides the substrate for the growth of a biofilm. In some systems, air is forced into the filter with a fan. However, most filters rely on natural convection and diffusion to move air throughout the filter. Trickling filters are rugged and easy to operate. They have the ability to treat a wide variety of nutrient levels. Properly designed systems can handle solids very well. One of the big advantages of a trickling filter is that the water can leave with more oxygen than it entered. Because trickling filters have a large – air water interface, they also act as strippers to remove CO2, H2S, N2 or other undesirable volatile gases. The only major drawback to trickling filters is the energy cost required to pump the water to the top of the filter. A high narrow filter will save space but take more pumping energy. A wide low filter will use less energy but take up more space. The first step in the design of a trickling filter is to pick the right packing or media. Over the years many different materials have been used for trickling filters but today, the best packing is structured media. Structured media is composed of sheets of rigid PVC that are corrugated and glued together to form blocks. For an in depth review and analysis of packing materials, refer to the paper “A Review of Biofiltration Packings”. One of the advantages of structured media is it’s flexibility and ease of use.
Structured media can be used to build a convenient biofilter without a vessel. Since the vessel is typically the major cost of a biofilter, a biofilter with no vessel can be a real money saver. Structured media can be stacked on a frame work or any flat surface. It can be located over a culture tank or have its own water collecting sump. No sides are required because the packing is self supporting. The most important requirement in the design of any trickling filter is a good water distribution system at the top. There are two common ways to do this. A pressure spray system with splash guards at the top is probably the simplest. The only drawback is the additional pressure drop required to operate the nozzle. The other system involves the construction of a shallow water distribution pan with several gravity flow target nozzles in the bottom of the pan. Here are some typical arrangements for a “vessel-less” trickling filters. Figure 1. Trickling filter with pressure nozzle distribution system. Fig. 2. This is a trickling filter with gravity flow target nozzles in a shallow water distribution pan. Submerged Bed Filters Submerged Bed Filters are familiar to anyone who has owned an aquarium. An under gravel filter is a classic down flow submerged bed filter. Submerged bed filters have been used extensively for small scale aquaculture and backyard water feature systems.
These filters can be operated in up flow, down flow or cross (horizontal) flow. The classic (old) systems consisted of gravel with an under drain system. An improvement to these systems was the addition of air piping underneath. The air was used to ‘bump’ the filter to dislodge solids and restore full flow. The problems with these filters is the large size, low void fraction, tendency to plug and extremely high weight. In general, these old gravel based systems are not suitable for modern aquaculture. Modern submerged bed filters are very efficient, have low head loss and are very easy to build and maintain. The key difference is the type of media and the water flow path. A modern submerged filter uses structured media in a cross (horizontal) flow mode. This type of biofilter probably comes closer to the ideal biofilter than any other type. A typical installation would be configured similar to a raceway. The filter media is installed in a long trough. The length of the flow path can vary based on the retention time required. By using a relatively high velocity, it is possible to insure plug flow. This is a big advantage over well mixed systems or systems with short retention times. If it is not possible to remove all of the BOD before the biofilter, one will establish different zones in the filter. As nutrients are absorbed or removed in the first sections of the filter, different types of organisms will establish dominance in the zones where they enjoy optimum conditions. There are a variety of ways to configure a raceway type system. Here are a few examples Figure 3. Figure 4. Figure 5. Figure 6. Submerged filters can operate with or without aeration. If the flow path is long and the nutrient loading is high, it is wise to have aeration in the filter.
One of the easier methods is the traditional aeration system with large silica air stones. Sometimes it is not possible to use a raceway type biofilter system. If existing tanks must be used, it might be easier to build a system with internal recirculation. The advantage of internal recirculation is that it increases the velocity of water past the media and adds oxygen to the water. Increasing the velocity helps insure a more even distribution of water throughout the filter media and reduces the possibility of dead zones that are not receiving nutrients and oxygen. It also helps to keep particles in suspension. Suspended solids tend to settle out in areas of low water velocity. This is a problem because accumulations of solids can become anaerobic and contribute to poor water quality. Here are a couple of examples of internal recirculation systems. The cone bottom tank is preferred over the flat bottom tank because any solids that settle out will be removed immediately. Figure 7 Figure 8. There is always the possibility to install the submerged biofilter media in the culture tank. This has the advantage of saving the cost a separate vessel and associated piping. The big disadvantage to this system is that it is difficult to remove the suspended solids before the water enters the biofilter. Because there are too many different configurations to draw them all, here is a brief description of a few of the possibilities. 1. Air lift the water into one end of a filter designed as a raceway and air lift it back into the culture tank at the other end. 2. Pump the water into a particulate filter such as a rotary drum and then flow through the biofilter. 3. Locate tubes or columns of packing throughout the culture tank and induce a flow through them with air stones. 4. Locate the filter media around the walls of the culture tank and induce a flow up through the media with air stones. The number of possible configurations is limited only by one’s imagination. Part of the art of designing a trickling filter is to balance the competing requirements on the design.
1. In order to keep the energy costs to a minimum, the pumping head for the filter should be as low as possible. The maximum plan area covered by the filter is determined by the minimum water loading.
2. In order to minimize the floor space used by the filter, the filter should be as tall as possible. The practical limitations are the height of the building, the head limits on the pump and the structural and stability considerations of the vessel.
3. A taller filter will have a longer flow path for the water. This means a more complete treatment of the water with each pass.
4. Taller filters will have higher specific water loadings. This means better flushing action, more turbulent water films and higher ammonium removal rates. Trickling filters for industrial applications are sometimes 30 ft. tall. This is not practical for aquaculture systems. In general, trickling filters for aquaculture are between 4 and 10 ft. tall. Submerged Filters Submerged filters are excellent choices for small systems because they are very versatile.
They can be located in a separate tank or in the culture tank. They can be horizontal flow, up flow or down flow. They can be aerated or not. The most important consideration for the design is the even distribution of water to the packing. It is very common for submerged filters to be designed as large, flat and thin sections of packing with water direction being up flow or down flow. There is typically no provision for distributing the water to all areas of the media. The length of the water path through the media is very short and the resistance to flow is very low.
This is a recipe for disaster. The water flow will short circuit though a small section of the media and the rest of the biofilter will become anaerobic. Ideally the flow path through a submerged filter should be as long as possible. A long thin raceway is the best. This type of biofilter is known as a long path, plug flow submerged filter.
Another possible alternative is the use of aeration to induce a circulating flow around a tank. The goal should always be to provide sufficient velocity through the media to insure a fresh supply of oxygen and nutrients to the bugs on the surface of the media.
More info at: firstname.lastname@example.org
CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES (CCRES)
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Why, I wonder, does Norman Podhoretz subtitle the latest installment of his impresssive emotional and intellectual autobiography a cautionary tale? Against what are we cautioned? Why should we be warned, like Bellocs naughty children, by a touching account of the education in Americanism of a son of Jewish-Galician immigrants, or by the unabashed celebration of American patriotism it gave rise to? Is there a slight ironic joke here? Be careful, or you might find yourself becoming a patriot?
The real story of the book is not so much that of how patriotism was produced by Mr. Podhoretzs experience of this country but of how that experience, or something pretty close to it, engendered both patriotism in him and its opposite in so many of his near-contemporaries. It wasnt long ago that writing a book in praise of patriotism would have been thought an exercise in a class with preaching a sermon, as in the famous anecdote of Calvin Coolidge, against sin. This began to change during the youth of Norman Podhoretz, who, having been born the year after Coolidge left office, was not old enough to have been among the young men who heard the siren song of the Communist left in the 1930s. By the time he came intellectually of age, the Cold War was beginning and patriotism, as earlier generations would have understood it, was having an Indian Summer before the killing frosts of the ideological Sixties made it what it has since become: namely, a partisan sentiment.
There is always some danger to anti-Communists of becoming merely the mirror images of their opponents. If the Communists are against patriotism, then we are for it. But both make the same assumption that it is something you can be for or against, like a rise in interest rates or more money for defense spending, rather than something you are born with, like blue eyes or left-handedness. In the course of Mr. Podhoretzs useful and concise summing-up of the ideological wars of which he is so doughty a veteran, it is not always entirely clear that he escapes from this trap. It is a fine thing, to be sure, that he thinks so highly of the bounty and the security that the United States of America has afforded him, particularly when so many others have been so ungrateful for the same things. But if an even more bountiful and welcoming polity were to rise up out of the sea, would he then transfer his loyalties to it?
The book begins with one of the most famous of the many famous quotations from Dr. Samuel Johnsonthe one about patriotisms being the last refuge of a scoundrelbut one that is curiously misunderstood as a lapse in Johnsons usually sound judgment, as several correspondents of The Wall Street Journal pointed out when the confusion was repeated there. Here is the quotation from Boswell, for 7 April 1775:
Patriotism having become one of our topicks, Johnson suddenly uttered, in a strong determined tone, an apophthegm, at which many will start: Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel. But let it be considered, that he did not mean a real and generous love of our country, but that pretended patriotism which so many, in all ages and countries, have made a cloak for self-interest.Boswells surprise shows that patriotism understood as a real and generous love of our country was even then the primary meaning of the word, but his gloss on what he imagines Johnson really meant does not tell the whole story either. As The Oxford English Dictionary tells us, patriot, for the first century or so after its first appearance in English (in 1605), was generally accompanied with good, true, worthy, or other commendatory adjective because the word was often applied to one who supported the rights of the country against the King and court.
In other words, in Johnsons time it would still have retained some of its connotations as the sophistry of choice for thosemany of whom were at that very moment beginning a revolution in North Americawho insisted that their hatred of the sovereign was motivated by their love of the country over which his sovereignty was exercised. The fourth edition of Johnsons dictionary, perhaps influenced by the American rebellion, which he opposed, noted that the word was sometimes used for a factious disturber of the government a use which must have been more than occasional, since, as Macaulay tells us, Horace Walpole scarcely exaggerated when he said that, in the mid-eighteenth century, the most popular declaration which a candidate could make on the hustings was that he had never been and never would be a patriot.
In this respect, therefore, the Johnsonian patriotic scoundrel could be regarded as the direct ancestor of the Communists and fellow-travelers to whose discomfiture Mr. Podhoretz devotes so much of his memoir, men and women who would defend their betrayal of America by pleading a higher, nobler loyaltyoriginally to the international proletariat and subsequently to mere humanity. Perhaps it should not be surprising that, in America at least, the patriot of the 1770s could be seen as having elided into the anti-patriot of the 1930s. But if Mr. Podhoretzs book has a fault it is that in loudly and commendably hymning the authors sense of his countrys virtues, won in the teeth of intellectual fashion, it does not look more deeply into the case of Johnsons scoundrel, who is not really the patriot as such but the man who sets himself up as the only judge of where his loyalties lie.
Nor is this by any means an academic question, as Mr. Podhoretz himself recognizes in his discussion of a controversy sparked by the monthly magazine First Things in 1996. When several contributors to that magazines symposium entitled The End of Democracy? allowed themselves to be construed as suggesting that they no longer owed any obedience to their countrys judiciary, which had proved itself adamant in condoning abortion (among other things), Mr. Podhoretz rightly saw it as exactly the sort of thing that the Left had got up to in the 1960s. He wrote to the magazines editor, his friend Richard John Neuhaus, that I did not become a conservative in order to become a radical, let alone to support the preaching of revolution against this country. In this as in other cases where his fellow conservatives have been tempted to despair about the countrys moral decline, he has remained resolutely and reassuringly optimisticwhich is a sign both of patriotism and of Americanism.
Perhaps, after all, there is more in him than Mr. Podhoretz realizes of his grandmother Esther Malkah whose sense of elemental loyalties was somewhat more primitive. When her son, the authors uncle, was drafted into Uncle Sams army in the Second World War, her reaction was one of utter fury: Ver iz er, der Uncle Sam? Im bob ikh extra in drerd! Who is this Uncle Sam? Him I would especially like to see six feet under. Mr. Podhoretz comments that, even had she known what the fate of the Jews in Europe was,
she was altogether incapable of minding anyones business but her own, which extended to her children and grandchildren and not a micromillimeter farther than that. Compared to their welfare, nothing was of any importance; and anything that harmed them (a category that self-evidently included being drafted into the army) was bad, period, with no discussion or elaboration needed or even allowed.
Like other forms of unreflective organic attachment, Esthers devotion to her family seems morally rather dubious these days. Its patriotic equivalent is in Stephen Decaturs famous toast at Norfolk, Virginia, in 1816. Our Country! In her intercourse with foreign nations, may she always be in the right; but our country, right or wrong. No one nowadays holds up such patriotism as any kind of a model to follow. That way, we think, lies ethnic cleansing and the ovens of Auschwitz. (Though it would be interesting to know how far, in fact, Hitlers willing executioners were motivated by their love of country.) But Norman Podhoretzs charming and readable book implicitly suggests that the patriotism of the heart, for the most part overshadowed in it by that of the head, is not so unlike Stephen Decaturs as we have all grown used to thinking.
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Why do priests keep women out of the altar? Why are there places in the church that are forbidden for women? Is a woman worse than a man? – Archimandrite Alipius (Svetlichny) answers.
In the eyes of the Church, a woman is not unclean at all, as some people with liberal attitudes suspect. Otherwise, the Church would not praise the Virgin Mary so much! She would not honor the multitude of holy women and virgins.
Moreover, there is no significant difference between a man and a woman, a layperson and a priest in moral theology. Theology recognizes that we all are human beings! There are people who seek salvation, and people who condemn themselves to perdition. This is the only distinction.
In his interpretation of the 15th Rule of the Council of Chalcedon, Balsamon writes: “What is said in the given rule is completely out of use; for nowadays they do not ordain the deaconesses, although some ascetic women might be called deaconesses albeit not in the proper sense; because there is a rule which determines that women should not enter the holy altar. So, the one who cannot enter the holy altar, how will she perform the deacons’ functions?” And that’s where we stumble! It turns out that there is a rule that determines that women should not enter the altar… Looks like discrimination begins…
Let’s find that rule to understand why women shouldn’t go into the holy altar.
Let us turn to the Syntagma and look at Chapter 22, “That Women Should Not Enter The Holy Altar.” We read: “The 44th Rule of the Council of Laodicea considers it inappropriate for women to have access to the holy altar, even though they had previously been allowed to do so. For if lay men are forbidden to do so (69th rule of the 6thEcumenical Council), the more so should women [be forbidden]. Women are not allowed [in the holy altar], as some say, for reasons of their involuntary monthly period.”
So here is the problem! It turns out that lay men are also banned from entering the altar! This is what the 69thRule of the Sixth Ecumenical Council says: “Let no one of the laymen be allowed to enter the holy altar. Yet according to some ancient custom, it is not forbidden to royal power and dignity when the emperor wishes to bring gifts to the Creator.”
Thus, only the king may enter the altar because he is anointed, and only when he brings a gift, i. e., a royal ritual gift to the church.
Let’s try to understand why the rule doesn’t let lay people in the altar.
I don’t think we need to look for any clarification, because it is clear enough! The sanctuary is meant to be a place of divine service. It was separated from the rest of the church so that the place might not only be sacred, but also so as to prevent disorder and tumult that often occurs when there are too many people in the church, especially on holidays.
The altar should be the place of deep prayer and exceptional order. This is especially important, since the Holy Chalice with the Blood of God is on the holy table! The Lamb of God in the form of the Bread is on the table! There must be no room for negligence in the altar. Rather, it is the place for awe and reverence in all things.
If the lay people were to enter the altar, it would become a passageway, and soon enough, disorder and nuisance would ensue.
Nowadays we can see how often laymen harass priests who come out of the altar for some reason. Everyone needs to say something, ask a question, hand a note with a lot of explanations to the priest or even give him a gift, or sometimes comment or complain with indignation. Some people try to start their own customs at the place where they stand… Imagine what that kind of hubbub would look like in the altar!
Therefore, the wise decision of the Holy Fathers was that only those who serve the Holy Sacraments should be in the altar.
Nevertheless, time has made changes to the provisions laid down by the Councils, and today we can see some lay people in the altar. What are they doing there?
Are they idling around? No, they perform some duties there. Kormchaia Book requires a priest never to begin the Liturgy unless he has an acolyte at his disposal.
Then we suddenly encounter another strange thing: you can see nuns in the altar in convents! They are allowed to enter the altar for the same purpose: they assist the priest during the service.
Therefore, the Church doesn’t consider women inferior to men.
There has to be moderation in all matters, and there has to be reason and order in the Church of God.
Translated by The Catalog of Good Deeds
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Florida State Rep. Mark Pafford, who spoke at a recent rally for Trayvon… (Submitted photo )
Several members of the Jewish community including Florida State Rep. Mark P. Pafford, D-West Palm Beach, turned out to show support at a recent rally and tribute to Trayvon Martin.
Martin was fatally shot by neighborhood watch coordinator George Zimmerman on Feb. 26, 2012 in Sanford, Florida. Zimmerman has since been acquitted.
More than a hundred people attended the evening "Community Rally for Justice and Peace" on July 28 at the Hilltop Missionary Baptist Church in Rivera Beach that included Tracy Martin, Trayvon's father, who spoke to those gathered.
Shirley Herman, a longtime women's rights and civil rights activist felt compelled to attend the rally. Back in the 60s, Herman was a "freedom bus" rider who traveled to the South to fight for black civil rights.
"I went to show my support," the West Palm Beach resident said. "I thought it was a great injustice. I felt he was targeted because of his color. As a Jew, I feel that because of our treatment in history, and the anti-Semitism, justice is very important to us."
Herman, who noted that "it's more common that a black person is targeted," said some of her own family members have also been targeted.
"I have dark skinned relatives who are Yemeni who have been targeted," she said. "I have a friend who is Jewish and whose husband is black. He was stopped because he was driving his mother's car and he didn't have the registration. He was in the police station all night."
Herman said she was "very moved" by Tracy Martin's remarks about his son, and by his call for changes to the Stand Your Ground law in Florida and elsewhere.
"We need to have a dialogue that violence isn't the only way," Herman said. "I felt Trayvon Martin's father was reaching out to all of us."
Pafford was one of the speakers at the rally. In an interview with the Jewish Journal, he said he attended because, "it is outrageous [that] a 17-year-old young man was killed by a stranger who was not penalized for his actions."
He added that, "Florida law supports these types of situations, in this instance, the killer, and verdicts that allow for injustice. I attended the rally to support Mr. Tracy Martin and Trayvon's family, the community and the effort to repair Florida law immediately."
As a Jew, Pafford said "activism and striving to speak out are part of my make-up. I have a duty, whether elected or not, to defend freedom and the persecuted."
Pafford said he could connect the Trayvon Martin tragedy with centuries of Jewish persecution.
"We all struggle and search for liberty, freedom and life. Our stories and backgrounds may be different, but our paths and histories are similar," he said. "Our destinies rely upon all faiths and groups to work in unison to fight injustice and persecution."
Debra L Frazier of Wellington, president and founder of the United Straight and Gay Alliance and executive regional director of the Florida Democratic GLBT Caucus also attended the rally.
"I marched with Riviera [Beach] leaders last year when [the shooting] first happened, [and] in Boynton Beach, and again on Jan 1 in Riviera Beach," the Wellington resident said. "I am very involved with the injustices of all people. We are 'one' in this struggle of equality. We need to show our support to all communities."
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University of Delaware government relations websites now live
1:19 p.m., May 15, 2012--The University of Delaware offices that maintain connections with the local, state and federal governments now have an enhanced digital presence on their new websites, udel.edu/Delaware and udel.edu/federal.
The Office of Government-State Relations and the Office of Federal Relations work with city, county, state and federal elected officials and their staffs to build productive partnerships and serve as the University community’s liaisons to government decision makers.
Board of Trustees
On the sites, users can read UD news and events with a connection to government, find contact info for government officials, ask a question of government relations staffers and more.
“There are so many remarkable people, enlightening events and fascinating projects happening on our campuses. This site will help us showcase them to legislators, whose decisions impact us every day.” said Jennifer (J.J.) Davis, vice president for finance and administration.
Each site allows users to sign up for updates on government-related happenings. The Federal Relations site also features a blog, written by Angie Anderson, director of federal relations, intended to keep UD faculty, staff and students up to date on the actions of Congress and the administration.
“The website is an important addition to our efforts to build and maintain connections with federal offices and government funding sources,” said Mark Barteau, senior vice provost for research and strategic initiatives.
Barteau calls the establishment of UD's Office of Federal Relations in Washington an invaluable addition that expands opportunities for growing the UD research enterprise by ensuring the University is engaged with government agencies, members of Congress and higher education associations.
"This website will help inform and connect the UD community to these efforts," he said.
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June 2007 - The Kentucky Public Service Commission approved a green energy option for customers of Louisville Gas and Electric Company (LG&E) and Kentucky Utilities Company (KU), both wholly owned subsidiaries of E.ON U.S. Under the new Green Energy program, Kentucky-based customers can purchase renewable energy in 300-kWh increments each month for $5, or a rate premium of 1.67¢/kWh; the average Kentucky household consumes approximately 900 kWh each month. The program will be supplied from Green-e certified renewable energy certificates (RECs) sourced from renewable energy projects in Kentucky and surrounding states. The company may also develop additional renewable energy sources in the future. The two utilities serve a combined total of 870,000 electric customers in the state.
News Release - LG&E, KU Receive Approval of Green Energy Program
News Article - Utilities Offer 'Green Power' Program - No longer online at www.courier-journal.com
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Weekly Harvest Newsletter
Sustainable Agriculture News Briefs - December 20, 2006
Weekly sustainable agriculture news and resources gleaned from the Internet by NCAT staff for the ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service Web site. The Weekly Harvest Newsletter is also available online.
News & Resources
* Targeted Grazing Handbook Available Online
Share The Harvest: Please forward this newsletter to friends and colleagues who might be interested in the latest sustainable agriculture news, funding opportunities, and events.
* UN Says Globalization Threatening Livestock Diversity
* Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program Final Rule Published
* Cornell University Joins Local Foods Movement
* University of Arkansas Extension Introduces Organic Production Resource Manual
* Iowa Organic Association Holds Inaugural Meeting
* Biotechnology Risk Assessment Research Grants Program
* Minnesota Sustainable Agriculture Loans
* Warner Endowment Fund for Sustainable Agriculture On-farm Research
* Understanding Organics: Livestock Management and Health
* Diversified Agriculture Conference
* Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota Annual Conference
News & Resources
Targeted Grazing Handbook Available Online
A new handbook that focuses on using sheep and goats to manage vegetation and enhance landscapes was recently completed in a collaborative effort by researchers, educators, and producers from across the United States. Targeted Grazing: A Natural Approach to Vegetation Management and Landscape Enhancement is available online in its entirety. The handbook covers topics such as using targeted grazing to control invasive species of weeds and using sheep and goats to create fire breaks. It also includes grazing prescriptions that can be used to target specific plant species and examples of how sheep and goats are being used to manage vegetation.
UN Says Globalization Threatening Livestock Diversity
The United Nations has warned that around 20 percent of domestic animal breeds worldwide are at risk of extinction, with a breed lost each month. The organization blames globalization and a focus on high-production breeds for the loss of 190 breeds in the past 15 years, and says 1,500 more breeds are at risk of extinction. The UN notes that many traditional breeds are multi-purpose animals, while modern breeds are highly specialized. The organization cautions that the existing gene pool holds valuable resources for future food security and agricultural development, particularly in harsh environments. An international conference set for Switzerland in September is to adopt a plan to help stop the loss of genetic diversity in domestic animal breeds.
Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program Final Rule Published
Final regulations for the Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) were published in the Federal Register on December 12. The SFMNP provides low-income seniors with coupons that can be exchanged for eligible foods at farmers' markets, roadside stands, and community supported agriculture programs through grants awarded to States, United States territories, and federally recognized Indian tribal organizations. A total of 46 State agencies administered the SFMNP during FY 2006.
Cornell University Joins Local Foods Movement
Cornell University joins the growing list of colleges and universities offering fresh, local foods in their dining halls. The university initiated a pilot program five years ago, which offered students at North Star dining facility a kiosk with fresh and, when available, local produce. The local foods initiative didn't really grow until last fall, however, when students investigated the feasibility of increasing local foods available in campus cafeterias. The students then worked with dining services to increase local produce to record levels. The university estimates spending about 20 percent more on local foods this year, compared to last year, and those involved with the program hope to see that figure grow each year. "I think [our goal is] 100 percent when it's reasonable, and it's in season," said Anthony Kveragas, senior executive chef for Cornell's retail operations.
University of Arkansas Extension Introduces Organic Production Resource Manual
University of Arkansas Extension Service announces the release
and publication of its first Organic Production Resource Manual.
The document was constructed to assist extension workers, ag-professionals,
consultants and growers in Arkansas and the region with fundamental
questions and resources for organic production. The document's
development and contents were based upon research on the information
needs of various clientele groups, and compiled as part of a graduate
student thesis. The 110-page Resource Manual is available
online in PDF (598K) and will be available in hardbound/notebook
copies in the future.
Iowa Organic Association Holds Inaugural Meeting
A new association dedicated to enhancing the growth organic farming and food production in Iowa was launched at the sixth annual Iowa Organic Conference, held in November. According to AgriNews coverage, the Iowa Organic Association is seeking to advance organic opportunities by fostering education, research, promotion and market development and policy.
> More Breaking News
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Biotechnology Risk Assessment Research Grants Program
CSREES and the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) request applications for the Biotechnology Risk Assessment Research Grants Program (BRAG) for fiscal year (FY) 2007 to support environmental assessment research concerning the introduction of genetically engineered organisms into the environment. The amount available for support of this program in FY 2007 is approximately $3.0 million. Applications may be submitted by any United States public or private research or educational institution or organization.
Proposals are due February 15, 2007.
Minnesota Sustainable Agriculture Loans
The state of Minnesota has a standing allocation of $1 million dollars in a "revolving fund" to facilitate the adoption of alternative management practices that will enhance farm profitability, benefit the rural environment, and provide a more sustainable farming system. The loans may be for capital purchases, which include: rotational grazing systems, on-farm energy production, composting equipment, solar-powered equipment, hoop buildings, reduced or no herbicide weed control, and more. The maximum loan per farm family is $25,000 and fixed interest is at 3 percent over a term not to exceed seven years. Questions about the program can be directed to Mary Hanks (email@example.com) at 651-201-6277, or write to Sustainable Agriculture Loan Program, Minnesota Department of Agriculture, 625 Robert Street North, St. Paul, Minnesota 55155-2538.
Proposals are due February 15, 2007.
Warner Endowment Fund for Sustainable Agriculture On-farm Research
The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES)and the Sustainable Agriculture Program are offering an interdisciplinary grant program to promote on-farm research in sustainable agriculture. This program is made available through the Paul C. and Edna H. Warner Endowment Fund established specifically for on-farm research in sustainable agriculture related to crop (agronomic and horticultural) and animal production systems, that are ultimately intended for human consumption. Proposals must come from OSU CFAES faculty and extension personnel as principal investigators. Interested farmers, graduate students, and members from other agricultural or environmental organizations are strongly encouraged to contact OSU faculty and extension agents in their communities to suggest or initiate collaborative research projects.
Proposals are due January 15, 2007.
> More Funding Opportunities
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Understanding Organics: Livestock Management and Health
February 14-16, 2007
Alfred, New York
The Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-VT), in partnership with Quality Milk Production Service of Cornell University, is pleased to announce a 3-day conference on Organic Livestock Health and Management designed to provide continuing education to extension agents, veterinarians, and other professionals working with Northeast organic or transitioning producers. This conference, and one that follows March 6-8 in Durham, NH, will focus on the comprehensive nuts and bolts of organic livestock production.
Diversified Agriculture Conference
February 21-23, 2007
The Diversified Agriculture Conference is designed to benefit agriculture producers who are interested in more than just traditional agriculture, including recreation, tourism, direct marketing, farmers' markets, further processing, and more. Information to be presented at the conference will include the methods and ideas from innovative producers and information from professionals on legal issues, financial issues, and marketing.
Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota Annual Conference
February 17, 2007
St. Peter, Minnesota
The Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota (SFA of MN) announces its 16th Annual Conference: "Sustainable Farming Systems: State of the Art." The conference will feature cutting edge topics in sustainable agriculture, numerous food and agriculture exhibits, and an array of delicious locally produced foods.
> More Events
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to the Weekly Harvest
Comments? Questions? E-mail the Weekly Harvest Newsletter editor Norma Pylypuw at
Harvest and ATTRAnews Archives Available Online
Digital versions of recent Weekly Harvest and ATTRAnews newsletters
are available online. ATTRAnews is the bi-monthly newsletter
of ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service.
ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service is managed by the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) and is funded under a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Business-Cooperative Service. Visit the NCAT Web site for more information on our sustainable agriculture projects.
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The various provisions of an initiative measure which set limitations on local tax assessments, limited assessments for the motor vehicle excise, permitted a State income tax deduction of one-half of the rent paid for one's residence, limited the permissible level of municipal charges for
goods or services, and otherwise indirectly affected the amount of taxes to be collected by giving authority to municipalities to control expenditures or by restraining the Commonwealth and certain political subdivisions from imposing costs on cities and towns were sufficiently related directly or indirectly to the limitation of State and local taxation to constitute "related subjects" as required by art. 48, The Initiative, II, Section 3, of the Amendments to the Constitution of the Commonwealth. [218-221]
A provision of an initiative petition that would have different consequences in various municipalities depending on whether a municipality's assessments were more or less than 2 1/2% of the full and fair cash valuation of real and personal property in the municipality was not "restricted . . . to particular districts or localities" so as to require its exclusion from the initiative process under art. 48, The Initiative, II, Section 2, of the Amendments to the Constitution of the Commonwealth. [222-225]
A provision of an initiative petition which would eliminate the fiscal autonomy of school committees and the concomitant right judicially to enforce that autonomy was not excluded from the initiative process under art. 48, The Initiative, II, Section 2, of the Amendments to the Constitution of the Commonwealth as a measure relating "to the powers . . . of courts" or to a constitutional "right of access to and protection in courts of justice." [225-226]
The exercise of discretion by the Attorney General in preparing a summary of an initiative proposal, as required by art. 48, The Initiative, II, Section 3, and art. 48, General Provisions, III, is to be given weight in any judicial analysis of the fairness and adequacy of a summary. [229-230]
A statement in a summary of an initiative proposal that "[t]he proposal would limit the amount of money required to be appropriated for public schools to that amount voted upon by the local appropriating authority" was a concise and fair summary of provisions of the proposal which would eliminate the fiscal autonomy of school committees and the right to enforce judicially that autonomy.
The Attorney General's failure to mention in the summary of an initiative proposal a provision giving a municipality the right to revoke acceptance of certain General Laws it had previously accepted was the omission of a minor subject where the proposal contained numerous provisions aimed at setting limitations on State and local taxation and where the Legislature had already passed a provision similar to that omitted from the summary. [231-232]
A provision of an initiative proposal which would authorize a municipality, by vote of a majority of those voting, to reduce the statutory limit on the assessment of local property taxes to a rate below 2 1/2% was not a major change in the law in relation to the provisions of the
proposal considered as a whole, and the Attorney General's omission of any reference to that provision from the summary of the proposal was reasonable.
In the absence of a successful challenge to the constitutionality of the provisions of an initiative measure, this court declined to analyze the propriety of the omission from the Attorney General's summary of a reference to the measure's severability clause.
An error in the Attorney General's summary of an initiative proposal was considered minor and not significantly misleading where the error would have had a limited, not a Statewide, influence on voters and where the summary was not the only source of voter information on the widely debated proposal. [233-236]
Where an initiative proposal, as originally submitted, erroneously provided for the repeal of Section 4A of St. 1973, c. 1078, rather than Section 4, but the Attorney General's summary had stated that the proposal would "repeal the law which provides for compulsory binding arbitration when labor negotiations concerning police and fire personnel come to an impasse," as was intended by the proponents of the proposal and consistent with repeal of Section 4, the Attorney General's conclusion that a subsequent change in the proposal to substitute a reference to Section 4 for the reference to Section 4A was a "perfecting" amendment permitted by art. 48, The Initiative, V, Section 2, was reasonable even though the change was more than a technical adjustment. [236-238]
The provision of an initiative measure which permitted, for State income tax purposes, a deduction from taxable income of 50% of the rent paid by an individual for his principal place of residence in the Commonwealth did not violate equal protection of the laws provisions of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution or comparable principles expressed in the Constitution of the Commonwealth in its distinction between residential renters and nonrenters. [239-240]
The provision of an initiative measure which permitted, for State income tax purposes, a deduction from taxable income of 50% of the rent paid by an individual for his principal place of residence in the Commonwealth was reasonably justified under art. 44 of the Amendments to the Constitution of the Commonwealth by the untaxed benefit a home owner receives in the use of his home and, therefore, did not violate the requirement of uniformity of rates of taxation set forth in art. 44. [241-245]
Two CIVIL ACTIONS commenced in the Supreme Judicial Court for the county of Suffolk on November 13, 1980, and November 17, 1980, respectively.
CIVIL ACTION commenced in the Superior Court Department on November 26, 1980.
Upon transfer of the first two actions to the Superior Court Department, all three cases were heard by Young, J., and were reported by him to the Appeals Court. The Supreme Judicial Court granted a request for direct review.
Robert J. Muldoon, Jr., & Peter J. McCue for Massachusetts Teachers Association & another.
Mark J. Dalton (Robert J. Canavan with him) for International Brotherhood of Police Officers & others.
Joseph G. Sandulli for Massachusetts Coalition of Police, AFL-CIO.
Donald K. Stern, Assistant Attorney General (James A. Aloisi, Jr., Assistant Attorney General, with him) for Secretary of the Commonwealth & others (Russell B. Higley, City Solicitor, for the city of Cambridge, with him).
Paul J. McCarthy & Jeanne C. Farrah for Massachusetts Police Association, amicus curiae, submitted a brief.
WILKINS, J. At the November, 1980, general election, acting under the initiative process of the Constitution of the Commonwealth, the voters adopted as chapter 580 of the Acts of 1980 a tax limitation measure commonly known as Proposition 2 1/2. [Note 4] The plaintiffs contend that Proposition 2 1/2 was not a proper subject of an initiative petition and that procedural requirements of the initiative process authorized by the Constitution were not adequately followed in the presentation of Proposition 2 1/2 to the voters. They also raise before us a challenge to the constitutionality
of a substantive provision of Proposition 2 1/2, that is a challenge which could have been made if Proposition 2 1/2 had been adopted by the Legislature rather than through the initiative process. [Note 5]
These cases are before us on a report (see Mass. R. Civ. P. 64, 365 Mass. 831 ) by a judge of the Superior Court of the propriety of his rulings, which (a) declared that Proposition 2 1/2 was adopted in a constitutionally adequate manner according to the procedures set forth in art. 48 of the Amendments to the Constitution of the Commonwealth, as amended by art. 74 of the Amendments, [Note 6] and (b) rejected the only substantive challenge to Proposition 2 1/2 which the judge concluded was properly before him. We granted a request for an expeditious, direct appeal to this court. We agree with each of the judge's rulings challenged in this court. The Procedural Background
In resolving the issues that underlie the judge's rulings that have been reported for appellate consideration, it is not generally important to differentiate among the three actions brought to challenge Proposition 2 1/2. Each was commenced shortly after the adoption of Proposition 2 1/2, two in the Supreme Judicial Court for Suffolk County, and the third in the Superior Court, after a single justice of this court had transferred the first two actions to the Superior Court. It is sufficient to note that the actions were consolidated for pretrial purposes in the Superior Court. On December 8, 1980, the judge denied the plaintiffs' requests for preliminary injunctions against the implementation of Proposition 2 1/2. Subsequently, each party moved for summary judgment or for partial summary judgment, and various affidavits were filed. On March 31, 1981, in a comprehensive
and thoughtful memorandum, the judge allowed summary judgment in favor of the Commonwealth defendants and denied the plaintiffs' motions for summary or partial summary judgment. He stated that "[a] declaration will enter that St. 1980, c. 580 has been constitutionally adopted by the people of the Commonwealth and that its provisions are, on their face, constitutional." He then reported the propriety of his rulings to the Appeals Court.
The judge stated that he expressed no opinion whether Proposition 2 1/2, "in its operation, will impair the obligation of contracts or deny to any of the citizens of the Commonwealth the equal protection of the laws." He had earlier concluded that the impairment of contract issue was not ripe for adjudication. No argument has been made here based on a claim of an unconstitutional impairment of the obligation of contracts or on the denial of equal protection of the laws in the application of Proposition 2 1/2 in particular circumstances. In this opinion, we consider only those rulings of the judge that are argued in the plaintiffs' briefs filed in this court.
The judge dismissed the Massachusetts Coalition of Police, AFL-CIO, as a party plaintiff on the ground that it was an unincorporated association not capable of suing or being sued. Because there is at least one plaintiff who has standing to raise each of the issues argued to us, as the Attorney General grants, we do not pause to determine which particular plaintiff or plaintiffs are entitled to advance particular issues or whether the judge was correct in dismissing the Massachusetts Coalition of Police, AFL-CIO, as a party plaintiff. See Save the Bay, Inc. v. Department of Pub. Utils., 366 Mass. 667 , 674-675 (1975). The individual plaintiffs who are citizens and qualified voters have standing to argue that Proposition 2 1/2 was not constitutionally adopted. See Cohen v. Attorney Gen., 354 Mass. 384 , 387 (1968) (qualified voters); Sears v. Treasurer & Receiver Gen., 327 Mass. 310 , 314-315 (1951) (citizens). At least one plaintiff is a home owner who has standing to raise the substantive
constitutional challenge to the renter's income tax deduction allowed by Proposition 2 1/2. [Note 7] Proposition 2 1/2
Proposition 2 1/2 (St. 1980, c. 580) is entitled "An Act limiting state and local taxation and expenditures." Certain of its sections place limitations on the amount of tax or other revenue permitted to be collected. Thus, for example, the maximum motor vehicle excise payable to cities and towns is reduced from $66 to $25 per $1,000 of valuation. G. L. c. 60A, Section 1, as amended by St. 1980, c. 580, Section 9. Proposition 2 1/2 grants a tax deduction in the calculation of a taxpayer's State income tax in an amount equal to one-half of the rent paid for his or her principal place of residence. G. L. c. 62, Section 3 B (a) (9), inserted by St. 1980, c. 580, Section 11. A somewhat different provision limits charges and fees for goods provided or services rendered by a city, town, or other governmental agency to the "cost of furnishing such goods or providing such services." G. L. c. 59, Section 20A, inserted by St. 1980, c. 580, Section 12.
Most significantly, Proposition 2 1/2 places a limitation on the total taxes permitted to be assessed annually on a municipality's real or personal property. G. L. c. 59, Section 21C, inserted by St. 1980, c. 580, Section 1. The total annual assessments of most cities and towns may not exceed 2 1/2% of the full and fair cash valuation of their real and personal property, unless that percentage is increased by a two-thirds vote at a general election. G. L. c. 59, Section 21C (1). See G. L. c. 59, Section 21C (4). If a municipality exceeds 2 1/2% "on the effective date of the enactment of [Section 21C]," the municipality need not necessarily lower its total assessment to 2 1/2% immediately. It must reduce its assessments annually by not less than 15% of the total taxes assessed in the fiscal year of that effective date until it reaches the level of 2 1/2% G. L.
c. 59, Section 21C (2). If a municipality's total assessments were less than 2 1/2% of the full and fair cash valuation of its property in fiscal year 1979, it must use that lesser percentage in lieu of 2 1/2%. G. L. c. 59, Section 21C (3). There is also a provision limiting increases in tax assessments in each successive year to 2 1/2% of the preceding year's assessments but authorizing an increase in that percentage by a two-thirds vote at a general election. G. L. c. 59, Section 21C (4). Also, the 2 1/2% limitation, or any other applicable percentage limitation, may be reduced in a city or town by a majority vote at a general election. G. L. c. 59, Section 21C (5).
Other portions of Proposition 2 1/2 are concerned with freeing cities and towns from expenditures mandated by State law. Thus, the fiscal autonomy of school committees is abolished (see G. L. c. 71, Sections 16B and 34, as amended by and appearing in St. 1980, c. 580, Sections 6 and 7 respectively), as is compulsory, binding arbitration of disputes involving a municipality and a collective bargaining representative of its police or firefighters (see St. 1980, c. 580, Section 10). There are extensive provisions concerned with preventing the involuntary imposition on cities and towns of certain direct service or cost obligations resulting from statutes and administrative rules or regulations. See G. L. c. 29, Section 27C, inserted by St. 1980, c. 580, Section 2; G. L. c. 11, Sections 6 and 7, as appearing in and inserted by St. 1980, c. 580, Sections 3 and 4, respectively. There is also a limitation on counties' and other government entities' charges to cities and towns. See G. L. c. 59, Section 20A, inserted by St. 1980, c. 580, Section 12. Finally, Proposition 2 1/2 authorizes cities and towns in certain circumstances to revoke their acceptance of certain provisions of the General Laws. See G. L. c. 4, Section 4B, inserted by St. 1980, c. 580, Section 5. The Initiative Process
We summarize, in a general way, those provisions of art. 48 that are of significance in considering the various challenges of the plaintiffs.
Article 48 requires that an initiative measure contain only subjects "which are related or which are mutually dependent."
Art. 48, The Initiative, II, Section 3. The plaintiffs argue that the various provisions of Proposition 2 1/2 are not related or mutually dependent and that consequently Proposition 2 1/2 is invalid because it was enacted in violation of an express prohibition of art. 48.
Certain subjects are expressly excluded from the initiative process. Art. 48, The Initiative, II, Section 2. No initiative measure may be proposed "the operation of which is restricted to a particular town, city or other political division or to particular districts or localities of the commonwealth." Id. The plaintiffs argue the special treatment given by G. L. c. 59, Section 21C, to municipalities whose 1979 fiscal year assessments were less than 2 1/2% of assessed valuations violates the "particular localities" exclusion of art. 48. See G. L. c. 59, Section 21C (3). Also excluded from enactment by initiative is any measure relating "to the powers . . . of courts" or to a constitutional "right of access to and protection in courts of justice." Art. 48, The Initiative, II, Section 2. The Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA) argues that the attempted abolition of the right to seek judicial enforcement of the fiscal autonomy of school committees is a subject that is excluded from the initiative process. See G. L. c. 71, Section 34, as appearing in St. 1980, c. 580, Section 7.
When an initiative petition is originated by ten qualified voters, it is submitted to the Attorney General, who must make certain determinations concerning the form and substance of the measure. Art. 48, The Initiative, II, Section 3. He must, for example, determine whether the measure contains subjects that are related or mutually dependent and whether the measure contains only subjects not excluded from the popular initiative. Id. He is bound also to prepare, at this stage, a fair and concise summary of the proposed measure. This summary is to appear on the top of each blank used to obtain subsequent signatures in support of the measure, and it will appear on the ballot, if the measure is submitted to the people at a general election. Art. 48, The Initiative, II, Section 3, and art. 48, General Provisions, III, Form of Ballot. The plaintiffs argue that the
summary prepared by the Attorney General was not fair and concise because it omitted certain matters covered by Proposition 2 1/2 and because it contained a misstatement of the substance of one portion of Proposition 2 1/2.
Finally, if the General Court fails to pass a proposed law within the time limits stated in art. 48, a majority of the first ten signers of the initiative petition may amend the measure, provided that, in the opinion of the Attorney General, the amendment is "perfecting in its nature and does not materially change the substance of the measure." Art. 48, The Initiative, V, Section 2. The proponents of Proposition 2 1/2 undertook to make an amendment after the General Court failed to pass the proposal. The Attorney General certified the amendment as meeting the requirements of a perfecting amendment, and, after further signatures were obtained, Proposition 2 1/2 was submitted to the voters as thus amended. The plaintiffs in the action brought by the International Brotherhood of Police Officers argue that the amendment was not a perfecting amendment permitted by art. 48.
With this background, we turn to the various challenges to the judge's rulings argued before this court. Related Subjects
The plaintiffs argue strenuously that the presence of diverse provisions in Proposition 2 1/2 violates the requirement of art. 48, The Initiative, II, Section 3, that an initiative measure contain "only subjects . . . which are related or which are mutually dependent." [Note 8] One group of plaintiffs contends that each of the substantive provisions of Proposition 2 1/2 should have been presented separately. It is clear, however, that an initiative measure may include more than one subject. The constitutional requirement is only that those subjects be related.
There has been little discussion in reported opinions concerning the "related subjects" limitation of art. 48. In Opinion of the Justices, 309 Mass. 555 , 560-561 (1941), the Justices briefly discussed the question in terms of an initiative petition that sought to permit contraceptive advice to married persons. The proposed legislation additionally allowed the teaching of the subject in chartered medical schools as well as the publication and sale of medical treatises on such matters. The Justices concluded that "[t]he particular subjects of the proposed law appear to be germane to the general subject of prevention of pregnancy or conception, to such an extent, at least, that they cannot rightly be said to be unrelated." Id. at 561. The standard articulated in the Opinion of the Justices is the one we apply here: Whether the subjects dealt with in Proposition 2 1/2 are germane to a general subject, at least to the extent that one cannot rightly say that they are unrelated. [Note 9] Of course, the general subject of an initiative proposal cannot be so broad as to render the "related subjects" limitation meaningless. If, however, one can identify a common purpose to which each subject of an initiative petition can reasonably
be said to be germane, the relatedness test is met. It is not for the courts to say that logically and consistently other matters might have been included or that particular subjects might have been dealt with differently. Unlike the situation in other States, the single subject concept has not been a part of the legislative process in this Commonwealth, [Note 10] and we see no justification for importing that concept into the less restrictive limitation of "related subjects."
All portions of Proposition 2 1/2 are related directly or indirectly to the limitation of taxes. Certain provisions provide directly for a limitation, or the possibility of a limitation, on taxes. See the limitations on local tax assessments (St. 1980, c. 580, Section 1); the limitation on assessments for the motor vehicle excise (St. 1980, c. 580, Section 9); and the State income tax deduction of one-half of rent paid for one's residence (St. 1980, c. 580, Section 11). Cf. the different but allied limitation on the permissible level of municipal charges for goods or services (St. 1980, c. 580, Section 12). The renter's deduction relates to a limitation of State taxation, even
though it is possible that the lost revenue might be made up by some other change in the income tax law. Other provisions indirectly affect the amount of taxes to be collected, by giving authority to municipalities to control expenditures or by restraining the Commonwealth and certain political subdivisions from imposing costs on cities and towns. See the requirement that the Commonwealth assume the cost, at least, of any new law or regulation imposing any direct service or cost obligation on any city or town without its consent (St. 1980, c. 580, Section 2) (along with procedures for the enforcement of the requirement, St. 1980, c. 580, Sections 3 and 4); the authorization granted to a municipality to revoke its acceptance of certain provisions of the General Laws (St. 1980, c. 580, Section 5); the elimination of the fiscal autonomy of school committees and regional district school committees (St. 1980, c. 580, Sections 6, 7, and 8); the elimination of binding arbitration for police and firefighters (St. 1980, c. 580, Section 10); and the limitation on county and other assessments on cities and towns (St. 1980, c. 580, Section 12).
It is, of course, possible to conceive of a general purpose to which not every subject of Proposition 2 1/2 may be said to relate. If one characterizes Proposition 2 1/2 as concerned only with local tax rates and the cost of local government, then the renter's deduction, involving a matter of State income taxes, would arguably be unrelated to the purpose attributed to Proposition 2 1/2. Similarly, if one were to define Proposition 2 1/2 as concerned only with the cost of residential housing in the Commonwealth, the reduction in the level of permissible motor vehicle excises would appear to be extraneous to that purpose. The plaintiffs' limited definitions of the purpose of Proposition 2 1/2 tend to assure the desired conclusion of unrelatedness. The proper approach, however, is to assess what a proposed initiative does in its various aspects or subjects and to determine whether there is a common purpose to which each element is germane or, at least, to which it "cannot rightly be said to be unrelated." Opinion of the Justices, 309 Mass. 555 , 561 (1941). All the subjects included in Proposition 2 1/2 relate directly or indirectly to the limitation of State and local taxation.
"No measure . . . the operation of which is restricted to a particular town, city or other political division or to particular districts or localities of the commonwealth . . . shall be proposed by an initiative petition." Art. 48, The Initiative, II, Section 2. The MTA asserts that Proposition 2 1/2 violates this prohibition because it does not apply uniformly throughout the Commonwealth. The MTA argues in particular that G. L. c. 59, Section 21C (3), inserted by Section 1 of the act and set forth in the margin, [Note 11] has special provisions concerning any municipality whose total taxes assessed in fiscal year 1979 were less than 2 1/2% of the full and fair cash valuation of real and personal property in the municipality. Any such municipality must adhere to that lower percentage, or, if above it, return to it by proportionately lowering its revenue collections, subject to the right of the voters to increase the amount to be appropriated in a fiscal year by a two-thirds vote at a general election (see G. L. c. 59, Section 21C & , inserted by St. 1980, c. 580, Section 1). There is no question that there are municipalities, mostly in rural areas of the Commonwealth, to which Section 21C (3) will apply. The question, as the MTA presents it, is whether Section 21C (3) contains an excluded matter because it "is restricted . . . to particular districts or localities of the commonwealth." If so, MTA argues, Proposition 2 1/2 was improperly adopted through the initiative process.
Various opinions of the Justices of this court have indicated that particular proposed legislation could not be subject to a referendum under art. 48 because of language identical to the "particular districts or localities" exclusion of the initiative procedures of art. 48 (see art. 48, The Referendum, III, Section 2). See Opinion of the Justices, 334 Mass. 721 , 743-744 (1956) (bill concerning the creation of the Massachusetts Port Authority); Opinion of the Justices, 303 Mass. 615 , 626 (1939) (bill not applicable to the counties of Dukes County and Nantucket and operating differently in Suffolk County); Opinion of the Justices, 261 Mass. 523 , 554 (1927) (bill applicable only to municipalities served by the Boston Elevated Railway Company); Opinion of the Justices, 254 Mass. 617 , 620 (1926) (bill establishing congressional, councillor, and senatorial districts and apportioning representatives). [Note 12] See also Opinion of the Justices, 294 Mass. 607 , 609 (1936) (initiative proposal limited to cities). Cf. Opinion of the Justices, 300 Mass. 602 , 605 (1938) (bill to be effective only on acceptance by a municipality may be made the subject of an initiative petition even where it may effect a change in the law for only the city of Boston).
The meaning of art. 48's exclusion of any matter whose operation is restricted to "particular districts or localities" was discussed in Christian v. Secretary of the Commonwealth, 283 Mass. 98 , 103-105 (1933), with particular reference to the Debates in the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention of 1917-1918 (1918). See 2 Debates in the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention 1917-1918, 693 (1918). The language concerning excluded matters was amended in the course of the deliberations to include the reference "to a particular district or locality." The amendment was explained at the convention as excluding "[l]aws that relate to a particular district or locality as opposed to the Commonwealth as a whole . . . . It was not intended to change the meaning of that exclusion at all, but
to make it clear that it was simply a little wider than a single city or town. It might apply to a group of cities or towns." Id. Guided by this language, the court held in the Christian case that an attempted initiative petition proposing legislation concerning a district consisting of Boston and certain nearby cities and towns was excluded from the operation of art. 48's initiative provisions. There is no suggestion in the opinion that an act potentially applicable in various municipalities scattered throughout the Commonwealth would be excluded by the initiative process.
In Mount Washington v. Cook, 288 Mass. 67 , 74 (1934), the court held that a statute of Statewide applicability but subject to suspension at the option of any city or town was not an excluded matter and thus could be subject to a referendum pursuant to art. 48. The court said that "the restriction to a particular town, city or other political subdivision or to particular districts or localities must be specified in the law itself in terms which expressly or by fair implication are geographically descriptive of territorial divisions of the Commonwealth, in order that the law be an excluded matter." Id.
The particular districts or localities exclusion of the initiative provisions of art. 48 does not require that a proposed statute have uniform, Statewide application. In its origin, it was intended simply to exclude from the initiative process legislation having only a regional impact. See Christian v. Secretary of the Commonwealth, supra at 103-105. Consideration must be given to the effect of a particular statute to ascertain whether it affects only one political subdivision or only particular districts or localities and thus addresses a parochial concern. In the words of Mount Washington v. Cook, supra, the "fair implication" of the terms of the statute must be assessed to see whether the statute is "geographically descriptive of territorial divisions of the Commonwealth."
Plainly, Section 1 of Proposition 2 1/2 has different consequences in various municipalities, depending on the percentage that a municipality's total tax assessments are (or have been) of
the full and fair cash value of its property. This is true both of municipalities that exceed 2 1/2% of full and fair cash valuation and of those below 2 1/2% of full and fair cash valuation. In imposing limitations on total assessments in all municipalities, and not just in those which exceed 2 1/2%, the act applies in all geographical areas of the Commonwealth and, in this respect, reduces, rather than increases, the particularity of its application. The law is not directed to specific cities and towns. It deals with property tax reductions or limitations throughout the Commonwealth, although in different degrees and in different ways, and in all instances is subject to local control (see G. L. c. 59, Section 21C , , and ). It addresses a matter of Statewide concern. Where a law has no local or regional focus and where it makes no specific provision for the inclusion or exclusion of any city or town or of any particular district or locality, either on its face or in its application, the fact that the law may have different effects in various municipalities in a geographically random way does not exclude the measure from the initiative process. Such a law is not "restricted . . . to particular districts or localities."
The MTA advances a further argument that Proposition 2 1/2 involves a measure constitutionally excluded from the initiative process. Article 48, The Initiative, II, Section 2, excludes from an initiative petition (1) any measure that relates "to the powers, creation or abolition of courts" and (2) any proposition that is inconsistent with "the right of access to and protection in courts of justice" as "at present declared in the declaration of rights. [Note 13] The argument is that by elimination of the fiscal autonomy of school committees and particularly by elimination of the means of judicially enforcing that autonomy (see St. 1980, c. 580, Section 7, amending G. L. c. 71, Section 34), the powers of the courts are improperly
implicated in changes wrought by Proposition 2 1/2. [Note 14] This argument overstates the prohibition against dealing with the powers of courts through the initiative process. If, as is the case, the fiscal autonomy of school committees may be abolished by an initiative measure, judicial enforcement of fiscal autonomy may also be abolished. The abolition of the judicial remedy has only an incidental effect on the powers of courts.
Our cases concerning this exclusion focus on the main design of the legislation and do not include a law within the prohibition "because, in an incidental and subsidiary way, the work of the courts may be increased or diminished or changed." Horton v. Attorney Gen., 269 Mass. 503 , 511 (1929). See Opinion of the Justices, 375 Mass. 375 Mass. 795, 814-815 (1978); Commonwealth v. Yee, 361 Mass. 533 , 537 (1972); Cohen v. Attorney Gen., 354 Mass. 384 , 387 (1968). The changes made in G. L. c. 71, Section 34, are incidental and subsidiary in their effect on the courts. Adoption of a contrary view would suggest that the initiative process could not make any change in any law that was enforceable in the courts, that is, virtually any change in the law at all. [Note 15] The Adequacy of the Summary
As adopted by the people in 1918, art. 48, The Initiative, II, Section 3, required the Secretary of the Commonwealth to provide blanks for the use of subsequent signers of an initiative petition at the top of which should appear "a description of the proposed measure as such description will appear on the ballot." The description to appear on the ballot was
"to be determined by the attorney general." Art. 48, General Provisions, III. Article 48's requirement of a description presented problems with the length and complication of descriptions, problems that could not be solved by legislation. See Sears v. Treasurer & Receiver Gen., 327 Mass. 310 , 324 (1951); Bowe v. Secretary of the Commonwealth, 320 Mass. 230 , 242 (1946); Opinion of the Justices, 309 Mass. 631 , 643 (1941). As a result, amendments to art. 48 were proposed eliminating references to a "description" and substituting references to "a fair, concise summary, as determined by the attorney general." See Barnes v. Secretary of the Commonwealth, 348 Mass. 671 , 673 (1965); Bowe v. Secretary of the Commonwealth, supra at 242-243. In 1944, the people ratified and adopted the proposed changes as art. 74 of the Amendments. Art. 48, The Initiative, II, Section 3, as amended by art. 74, Section 1, of the Amendments, and General Provisions III, Form of Ballot, as amended by art. 74, Section 4. This 1944 amendment was intended to relax the requirements implicit in the word "description." See Opinions of the Justices, 357 Mass. 787 , 799 (1970). Economy of language and fairness are now emphasized. "[C]onciseness and completeness are often incompatible." Bowe, supra at 243. Certainly incidental and relatively unimportant matters need not be included in the summary.
The action of the Attorney General in approving the summary of the initiative proposal is not beyond judicial review. Horton v. Attorney Gen., 269 Mass. 503 , 507-508 (1929). See Evans v. Secretary of the Commonwealth, 306 Mass. 296 , 298 (1940). As a guide to whether the summary prepared by the Attorney General meets the requirement of conciseness and fairness, we look to opinions issued since its amendment by art. 74. In Sears v. Treasurer & Receiver Gen., 327 Mass. 310 , 324-325 (1951), which held invalid a one sentence summary of an eight page measure, the court discussed the requirements of a summary, saying: "The word carries with it the idea that, however much the subject matters may be condensed, the sum and substance of it must remain. No doubt details may be omitted or in many
instances covered by broad generalizations, but mention must be made of at least the main features of the measure." Id. at 324.
In Opinions of the Justices, 357 Mass. 787 , 799-800 (1970), a majority of the Justices said the fact "[t]hat certain details have been omitted from the summary does not in our view invalidate it. Any other conclusion as to this summary would facilitate a return to the overelaborate description which tended to confuse rather than clarify." The principal purpose of the initiative petition that was before the Legislature and the subject of the 1970 advisory opinion was a proposed constitutional amendment reducing the size of the House of Representatives from 240 to 160 members. Id. at 788-789. There were matters of substance not covered by the summary. The majority of the Justices regarded those omitted matters as minor "when compared with the main purpose of the proposed amendment. The summary, if cluttered with detailed explanation and discussion, could no longer rightly be called a summary; it might fail of careful reading as a whole, and voters might not consider it of paramount importance. We think the summary falls within the Bowe case (supra, 320 Mass. 230 ), and the Barnes case (supra, 348 Mass. 671 ), rather than within the Sears case (supra, 327 Mass. 310 ). This is a matter of degree." Id. at 800. The majority of the Justices also noted that the voters would receive "full information about the proposal." [Note 16] Id. at 801.
The significance of the opinions expressed by a majority of the Justices with regard to the adequacy of the summary considered in the 1970 Opinions of the Justices is emphasized by the dissenting views of Justice Kirk, with whom
Justice Spiegel agreed. 357 Mass. at 802, 806-807 (opinion by Justice Kirk); id. at 810-811 (opinion by Justice Spiegel). Justice Kirk noted that the proposal was to amend the Constitution and was not merely a statutory enactment. He pointed out that the summary failed to state, or even hint, that the constitutional residence requirements for the office of senator and for the office of representative would be changed and that arts. 21 and 22 of the Amendments would be annulled. In his opinion, these deficiencies were so great as to make the summary unfair. On the other hand, although these omitted matters might be of significance standing alone, the majority of the Justices concluded that, in the circumstances, the omissions were minor.
This court has not directly faced the question of the deference, if any, that should be given to the judgment of the Attorney General concerning the content of a summary. Generally, discussions of the adequacy of a summary do not explicitly give any weight to the Attorney General's judgment. In Sears v. Treasurer & Receiver Gen., 327 Mass. 310 , 320-321 (1951), the court noted that the safeguards of art. 48 could not be disregarded and that art. 48 provides, in a carefully prescribed manner, certain precisely defined safeguards to assure that the voters are acquainted with proposed laws. The provisions and conditions of art. 48 must be strictly complied with and "[f]ailure to comply will mean that no valid law has been enacted." Id. at 321. Justice Kirk said that "[n]o presumption is to be indulged in favor of a summary notwithstanding that it was, in the first instance, prepared by the Attorney General." Opinions of the Justices, 357 Mass. at 805. No attention has been paid in recent decades to the contrary statement in Anderson v. Secretary of the Commonwealth, 255 Mass. 366 , 369 (1926), that "whether the preliminary requirements have been complied with is for [the Attorney General] to determine and his decision, in the absence of bad faith, is final." This statement is particularly forceful because the issue in the Anderson case was not one of the content of a summary prepared under art. 48 but a question of law -- whether the
subject of an initiative was excluded from adoption through the initiative process. However, the idea of almost total deference to the judgment of the Attorney General announced in the Anderson case was repudiated in Horton v. Attorney General, 269 Mass. 503 , 508 (1929).
The Constitution places responsibilities on the Attorney General with respect to certain matters involved in the initiative process. One of these responsibilities is the preparation of a summary. Obviously, an element of discretion is involved in the preparation of a summary -- what to include, what to exclude, and what language to use. The exercise of discretion by the Attorney General, a constitutional officer with an assigned constitutional duty, should be given weight in any judicial analysis of the fairness and adequacy of a summary. [Note 17] His reasonable judgments as to what are minor matters should be respected. Where the question is "a matter of degree" (Opinions of the Justices, 357 Mass. 787 , 800 ), we would not substitute our judgment for his reasonable conclusions concerning the form and content of a summary. [Note 18] In the practical operation of the initiative process, it is desirable that determinations be made before the people vote rather than after. Indeed, if possible, any contest over the adequacy of a summary should precede rather than follow the final determination of its form. Of course, the time available to make such a challenge is often short, and timely decisions cannot always be made so as to permit corrections. Once the initiative
process has run its course, however, defects not going to the fundamental procedural and substantive requirements of art. 48 cannot properly invalidate the action of the people. [Note 19]
We now consider, in light of these principles, the plaintiffs' various objections to the summary prepared by the Attorney General. Some of the objections are to minor matters, and we first dispose of them briefly.
The summary stated that "[t]he proposal would limit the amount of money required to be appropriated for public schools to that amount voted upon by the local appropriating authority." This is a concise and fair summary of the consequences of Proposition 2 1/2 in relation to the fiscal autonomy of local and regional school committees. The proposed change concerning the obligations of municipalities to finance public education was a dramatic one, reversing a long-standing rule of law in this Commonwealth. To be sure, the summary was brief in this respect. But it was fair and correct. It represents exactly the precision which art. 48's mandate of conciseness calls for. It follows logically, without saying, that the right of citizens to seek the aid of courts to enforce school committees' funding requests would be abolished when the obligation of local appropriating authorities to meet those requests was abolished.
The summary makes no mention of the right of a municipality to revoke acceptance of certain General Laws previously
accepted by the municipality. Proposition 2 1/2 proposed an amendment to G. L. c. 4 by adding a new section 4B generally to this effect. St. 1980, c. 580, Section 5. The Legislature had already passed a similar, but not entirely identical, provision. See St. 1979, c. 518, Section 1, inserting a new G. L. c. 4, Section 4B, effective July 1, 1981 (see St. 1979, c. 518, Section 2). Although the existence of two forms of Section 4B of G. L. c. 4 may present problems in specific instances arising in the future and although the duplication demonstrates a lack of attention to detail in the preparation of the initiative proposal, certainly the omission from the summary of mention of the consequences of the adoption of Section 5 of Proposition 2 1/2 was the omission of a minor, indeed a trivial, subject.
An omitted matter of somewhat greater importance was the summary's failure to mention that Section 21C (5) of G. L. c. 59, as proposed to be inserted by St. 1980, c. 580, Section 1, would authorize a municipality, by vote of a majority of those voting, to reduce the statutory limit on the assessment of local property taxes to a rate below 2 1/2% (or below such other percentage as would be in effect pursuant to Section 21C). Tax assessments in excess of that percentage could be achieved only by a two-thirds vote (G. L. c. 59, Sections 21C and , inserted by St. 1980, c. 580, Section 1), and the summary so stated ("a city or town could raise its limit by a 2/3 local vote at a general election"). The power to reduce the amount of local property tax assessments already resided in the local appropriating authority of each municipality, quite apart from anything set forth in Proposition 2 1/2. The proposal that the voters themselves could impose such a limit by vote at a general election obviously would be a substantive change in the law. But it was not a major change in relation to the provisions of Proposition 2 1/2 considered as a whole. The Attorney General's judgment to omit any such reference from the summary was reasonable. [Note 20]
The failure of the summary to mention that Proposition 2 1/2 contained a severability clause, which is set forth in the margin, [Note 21] could have presented a serious question for this court. The concept that subjects which have to be "related" (see art. 48, The Initiative, II, Section 3) may nevertheless be severable is a challenging one. The summary's failure to mention that, if any part or parts of Proposition 2 1/2 were to be held unconstitutional, the other parts would survive would be a matter worthy of our serious attention if it were not for the fact that, in this opinion, we reject all challenges to the constitutionality of Proposition 2 1/2. We decline to speculate on the possibility of the unconstitutionality of Proposition 2 1/2 on any ground not raised in this appeal and will not analyze the propriety of the summary's omission of a reference to the severability clause on the mere possibility that some other constitutional challenge to Proposition 2 1/2 might prevail.
We come then to a clear error in the summary. The summary stated that "[i]f a locality currently imposes a tax of less than 2 1/2%, it would not be allowed to increase the tax rate" (emphasis supplied). The fact is that proposed G. L. c. 59, Section 21C (3), set forth in n.11 above, provides that, if the rate of a city or town was below 2 1/2% in the fiscal year 1979, that lesser (1979) percentage would be the maximum percentage of full and fair cash valuation at which taxes could be assessed and, if between fiscal year 1979 and the effective date of Section 21C, the total taxes so assessed had been increased above the 1979 percentage, the total taxes assessed would have to be reduced annually (by not less than 15% each year) until the total taxes assessed reached the lesser percentage. In analyzing the practical effect of the summary's reference to the current (fiscal year 1981) percentage, the trial judge appropriately noted: "It is clear, therefore, that
the summary erroneously stated to voters that they ought consider their then current tax rate in relation to the proposed . . . tax ceiling and not the tax rate for the fiscal year 1979 to which the proposed act actually applied in cases where that rate was less than two and one-half percent."
If Proposition 2 1/2 had simply proposed to all municipalities in the Commonwealth that they be restricted to the level of taxes assessed in the 1979 fiscal year and the summary had mistakenly described the ceiling as the level of taxes assessed in the 1981 fiscal year, we would not hesitate to rule that the inaccuracy in the summary made it unfair in violation of art. 48's command that the summary be fair and concise. The plaintiffs argue that the error in the summary of Proposition 2 1/2 is fatal and that the court should not look beyond that error to assess its likely impact on the judgment of the voters or on the result of the vote
We think that the error must be assessed in the context of the entire proposal and its likely impact on the voters. A determination cannot be made in a vacuum whether an error in a summary is minor or fatal to the validity of all or part of a proposal. It was well known that Proposition 2 1/2 would require reductions in local tax assessments for many communities. The argument against Proposition 2 1/2 printed in the information distributed to all registered voters by the Secretary of State before the 1980 election said "86% of the state's population lives in communities that would suffer drastic cuts the first year of Proposition 2 1/2."
Of course, the error involved the amount of taxes to be assessed only in those municipalities that were below 2 1/2% in fiscal year 1979. There were, according to the judge's unchallenged findings, sixty-five communities below 2 1/2% in fiscal year 1979. [Note 22] Of these sixty-five municipalities, all
towns with relatively small populations, thirty-nine had fiscal year 1981 levies below their 1979 fiscal year levies. As to those voters in these thirty-nine towns who may have been misled by the error in the summary, it seems reasonably clear that, if they were in favor of restricting assessments to the lower 1981 fiscal year assessments, they would certainly have voted for a restriction at the higher 1979 fiscal year assessment. It is most doubtful that any such voter would have changed his position and voted against Proposition 2 1/2 because in fact it did not cut as deeply as the 1981 fiscal year level assessments in his town.
The fact remains, of course, that, as to twenty-six towns, voters who relied on the summary would not have learned that their town's assessments would be rolled back to 1979 fiscal year levels. There are 351 cities and towns in the Commonwealth. Even if all the votes in favor of Proposition 2 1/2 cast in the twenty-six towns had been cast instead in the negative, the result of the vote on Proposition 2 1/2 would not have been changed. [Note 23] We reject any suggestion that a constitutional error in the initiative process may be rendered insignificant by the size of the popular vote. See Sears v. Treasurer & Receiver Gen., 327 Mass. 310 , 321 (1951). Constitutional limitations and requirements are designed to impose restraints on the exercise of the momentary will of the majority on certain matters. Thus, we think that the sole test of the constitutionality of the error cannot be to reassign all votes and potential votes that were subject to a possibly misleading influence, and then to recalculate the result. However, the magnitude of the error in the summary
may properly be measured by an analysis of the extent to which it was likely to have influenced voters. Here, the error was one of limited, not Statewide, influence. The concept of a reduction and rollback of local tax assessments was a well known aspect of Proposition 2 1/2. The summary did not ignore that concept as applied to municipalities below 2 1/2%. In any event, the summary was not the only source of voter information on this widely debated proposal. In the entire scheme of Proposition 2 1/2 and the Attorney General's summary, the error, although unfortunate, was minor and not significantly misleading. The summary was fair within the meaning of art. 48 regardless of the inaccuracy. The "Perfecting" Amendment
Although the proponents of Proposition 2 1/2 intended to eliminate final and binding arbitration for policemen and firefighters, the proposal as originally submitted mistakenly failed to do so. That initial proposal provided for the repeal of "Section 4A of Chapter 1078 of the Acts of 1973, as most recently amended by Chapter 154 of the Acts of 1979." The reference should have been to Section 4 and not to Section 4A. Section 4A established a Joint Labor-Management Committee with responsibility for collective bargaining negotiations involving municipal police officers and firefighters. That committee may order disputes to be submitted to binding arbitration "in accordance with the standards, provisions and limitations" of Section 4 of St. 1973, c. 1078. See St. 1979, c, 154, Section 1, second subparagraph (4). It is Section 4 that sets the conditions for binding arbitration in the resolution of disputes between a municipality and the collective bargaining units of its policemen and firefighters.
The summary of Proposition 2 1/2 under which the necessary number of signatures was obtained stated that the proposal would "repeal the law which provides for compulsory binding arbitration when labor negotiations concerning police and fire personnel come to an impasse." After the signatures initially required to advance an initiative claim were obtained and after the General Court rejected the entire
proposal, the proponents sought to make a "perfecting change" in Section 10 of Proposition 2 1/2 by deleting the reference to Section 4A and substituting a reference to Section 4 of St. 1973, c. 1078, as amended.
When an amendment is proposed by its sponsors, the Attorney General is authorized by art. 48, The Initiative, V. Section 2, to certify "that the amendment made by such proposers is in his opinion perfecting in its nature and does not materially change the substance of the measure." The Attorney General certified the change as a perfecting amendment. We reject the International Brotherhood of Police Officers' argument that the change was not a constitutionally permissible perfecting amendment.
No one was misled significantly by the error in the draftsmanship. The summary correctly stated the purpose of the proposal, although the summary and the text were inconsistent until the perfecting change was made. Signatures were obtained pursuant to the summary. The change permitted the people to vote on the proposal in the form in which it was intended.
It is true, however, that the change was more than a technical adjustment. In Bowe v. Secretary of the Commonwealth, 320 Mass. 230 , 233 (1946), we upheld as a proper perfecting amendment a change in a technically deficient statutory reference. The Bowe case did not involve, however, a substitution of one section of a statute for another section of that statute. The debates at the 1917-1918 Constitutional Convention indicate that it was intended that petitioners could amend their proposal to do more than make changes in "form and phraseology" (2 Debates at 773), provided any change was not a material change of the substance of the petition. Id. at 776-778. The intent of all signatories of the petition is clear from the summary. Indeed, the Attorney General's summary was the only information about the proposal contained on the forms used to gather signatures. See art. 48, The Initiative, II, Section 3.
Article 48 assigns to the Attorney General the task of expressing his opinion whether a proposed amendment meets
the requirements expressed in art. 48, The Initiative, V, Section 2. In such a matter, we should accept any reasonable judgment expressed by the Attorney General. [Note 24] II Debates at 773. We regard as reasonable his conclusion that the change in Section 10 of Proposition 2 1/2 was a perfecting amendment permitted by art. 48. [Note 25] The Constitutionality of the Renter's Deduction
The plaintiffs challenge the constitutionality of the renter's deduction, a deduction from taxable income of fifty per cent of the rent paid by an individual who rents his principal place of residence in the Commonwealth. See St. 1980, c. 580, Section 11. [Note 26] The argument is founded on two somewhat
related theories: (1) the classification violates equal protection of the laws provisions of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States and comparable principles expressed in the Constitution of the Commonwealth, and (2) the special classification of rent payers violates the uniformity and proportionality requirements of other provisions of the State Constitution, most particularly the requirements of uniformity set forth in art. 44 of the Amendments. [Note 27] Our analysis of these constitutional challenges is governed by the same principles that would govern our analysis if the measure had been adopted by the Legislature rather than through the initiative process. See Commonwealth v. Higgins, 277 Mass. 191 , 193 (1931).
The plaintiffs' challenges based on a claimed violation of equal protection of the law principles are of no merit. The applicable standards in equal protection analysis under the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States and comparable provisions of the Constitution of the Commonwealth are well established. The essential point is
that "[a] classification by a Legislature of property and persons for the purpose of taxation is not violative of . . . [the equal protection] clause of the Fourteenth Amendment so long as any basis of fact can be reasonably conceived showing that the distinction upon which it rests has a fair and rational relation to the object sought to be accomplished by the enactment, and so long as, the classification being valid, the State deals equally with all the members of the same class." Frost v. Commissioner of Corps. & Taxation, 363 Mass. 235 , 248, appeal dismissed, 414 U.S. 803 (1973), quoting from Old Colony R.R. v. Assessors of Boston, 309 Mass. 439 , 446 (1941). A State's scope of discretion is especially wide in the field of taxation. Smith v. Commissioner of Revenue, 383 Mass. 139 , 141 (1981). Keniston v. Assessors of Boston, 380 Mass. 888 , 892-893 (1980). Mary C. Wheeler School, Inc. v. Assessors of Seekonk, 368 Mass. 344 , 346-347 (1975). The line of cases in the Federal courts upholding this principle is lengthy. See, e.g., Kahn v. Shevin, 416 U.S. 351, 355-356 (1974), and cases cited in n.9. The same is true of this court's cases. In addition to those cases already cited, see Beals v. Commissioner of Corps & Taxation, 370 Mass. 781 , 785 (1976); Weinstock v. Hull, 367 Mass. 66 , 70, appeal dismissed, 423 U.S. 805 (1975); Roberts v. State Tax Comm'n, 360 Mass. 724 , 728-729 (1972).
The distinction between residential renters and nonrenters is a rational one in equal protection terms. The people could easily have concluded that residential tenants should be given favored income tax treatment as a means of offsetting Federal tax advantages accorded home owners as well as State tax benefits that home owners could be expected to realize as a result of other provisions of Proposition 2 1/2. In determining the rationality of an enactment for equal protection purposes, it is entirely appropriate to consider the effects in Massachusetts of Federal taxing measures. See, e.g., Frost v. Commissioner of Corps & Taxation, 363 Mass. 235 , 251-253, appeal dismissed, 414 U.S. 803 (1973). [Note 28]
The plaintiffs' challenge to the renter's deduction as a violation of art. 44's requirement of uniformity is more substantial. We first discuss the relevant principles of law.
One effect of art. 44 was to withdraw from the scope of the proportionality requirement of Part II, c. 1, Section 1, art. 4, whatever is rightly made subject to the income tax. Opinion of the Justices, 270 Mass. 593 , 599 (1930). Duffy v. Treasurer & Receiver Gen., 234 Mass. 42 , 47 (1919), appeal dismissed sub nom. Dane v. Burrill, 255 U.S. 580 (1921). Tax Comm'r v. Putnam, 227 Mass. 522 , 526 (1917). Thus, there is no requirement that levies on income and on property be proportional to each other. Id. at 526. P. Nichols, Taxation in Massachusetts 471 (3d ed. 1938). In view of the diverse treatment of local property taxation within the Commonwealth, it would be impossible to achieve over-all proportionality in the application of both local taxation of property and a Statewide income tax law. Article 44 does express, however, a rule of proportionality by requiring "a uniform rate throughout the Commonwealth upon incomes derived from the same class of property." See Opinion of the Justices, 354 Mass. 792 , 794 (1968).
Turning to the issue before us, the plaintiffs argue that the uniformity required by art. 44 is destroyed by giving renters a deduction in determining their State income tax liability where home owners are given no reasonably parallel deduction, such as a deduction for local real estate taxes paid or for interest payments on mortgage obligations, or both. They point to opinions interpreting the proportionality requirement of Part II, c. 1, Section 1, art. 4, to the effect that special treatment extended to a single class of taxpayer is impermissible. [Note 29] The plaintiffs further indicate that the renter's
deduction does not fit into the pattern of exemptions that have previously been approved. See Opinion of the Justices, 324 Mass. 724 , 731-733 (1949), where exemptions from local property taxes are classified and discussed.
The Attorney General argues that the renter's deduction is a reasonable exemption authorized by art. 44. The "reasonable exemptions" provision of art. 44 does not authorize special treatment that undercuts the dominant requirement of uniformity in art. 44. See Opinion of the Justices, 354 Mass. 792 , 794 (1968) (a deduction for certain political contributions not reasonable exemption or abatement under art. 44). However, "[t]he power of exemption implies to some extent the power of discrimination and of classification required by the best interests of society." Opinion of the Justices, 270 Mass. 593 , 601 (1930). The only limitation on exemptions stated in art. 44 is that they be reasonable, but by implication they must not conflict with other provisions of the Constitution. Id. at 599. Exemptions from the income tax have been approved as reasonable. Id. at 601 (exemption of minimum amounts of income from taxation). "The Legislature surely has a considerable range of discretion
within the bounds of reason . . . in establishing exemptions from the tax." Daley v. State Tax Comm'n, 376 Mass. 861 , 865-866 (1978).
We reject as an adequate justification for the renter's deduction the fact that the Federal income tax law grants a residential property owner deductions for local property taxes assessed to and paid by him and for interest payments on his mortgage obligations. Further, we do not find the fact that Proposition 2 1/2 is expected to reduce local property taxes for many home owners to be a reasonable basis for upholding the renter's deduction. While these circumstances, extraneous to the operation of the State income tax statutes, may be given some weight in the analysis of the reasonableness of the renter's deduction under art. 44, the requirement of uniformity and the reasonableness of any exemption must largely be tested and met within the scope of the income tax system itself.
Analyzing the reasonableness of the renter's deduction in relation to the operation of the Commonwealth's income tax provisions, we find reasonable justification for the deduction in the untaxed benefit, measured by the fair rental value, that a home owner receives in the use of his home. In order to reach our conclusion that the renter's deduction is reasonable, we need not decide that the fair rental value of a home owned by its occupant is income which could be subject to taxation under art. 44. It is sufficient to note that a home owner has invested assets in his home, that he derives an economic benefit from his occupancy of it, and that our income tax law does not impose any obligation on the home owner to make any tax payment on account of his receipt of that benefit. [Note 30]
Although practical considerations no doubt justify the failure to tax the fair rental value of residential real estate to its owner-occupant, it is clear that the home owner receives a tax-free benefit from the use of the equity in his home. If the taxpayer had invested his assets instead in securities, savings, or other property, he would expect to generate taxable income (assuming no other exemption). A person with
$50,000 invested in his home pays no annual State income tax with respect to the benefit realized from that investment, whereas a home renter who also has $50,000 but invests it in stock, for example, will be taxed on the annual income from that investment.
In the absence of the renter's deduction, a rent payer is taxed on his income from the investment of his assets without the benefit of any "exemption" similar to that extended to the home owner. The renter's deduction tends to reduce the disparate treatment of the home owner and home renter in the operation of the income tax law. It has been said that the failure to tax imputed rents is a cause of inequity between home owners and renters that "might be cured by a special deduction for renters." B.I. Bittker & L.M. Stone, Federal Income Taxation 83 (5th ed. 1980). See also Note, Federal Income Tax Discrimination Between Homeowners and Renters: A Proposed Solution, 12 Ind. L. Rev. 583, 600-601 (1979); R. Goode, The Individual Income Tax 124 (Brookings Inst., rev. ed. 1976). Considering home owners' obligations to pay local real estate taxes, to maintain their premises, to pay for insurance, and to pay interest on their mortgages, the allowance of a deduction of one-half of the rent paid annually by a residential tenant appears reasonable in relation to the benefit a home owner receives from the tax-free use of his home. The command of uniformity expressed in art. 44 is at least as fully met with the renter's deduction as it was before the adoption of the renter's deduction. Conclusion
We have considered all the challenges argued to us with respect to the rulings the judge reported for appellate review and find no error in those rulings. It is appropriate, therefore, that judgment be entered in the Superior Count declaring that Proposition 2 1/2 (St. 1980, c. 580) was lawfully adopted through the initiative process of the Constitution of the Commonwealth and that the renter's deduction, provided for by G. L. c. 62, Section 3 B (9), inserted by St. 1980,
c. 580, Section 11, is, on its face, neither violative of the equal protection provisions of the Constitution of the United States or of the Constitution of the Commonwealth, nor violative of the proportionality and uniformity requirements of the Constitution of the Commonwealth.
[Note 1] The Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA) is a Massachusetts corporation. The other plaintiff, Roland Lachance, is a taxpayer, home owner, voter, and a public school teacher.
[Note 2] The MTA's amended complaint lists the following State defendants: the Secretary of the Commonwealth, the Auditor of the Commonwealth, and the Commissioner of Revenue. It also names the city manager, the collector of taxes and treasurer, and the board of assessors of the city of Cambridge. The Cambridge defendants have not participated in the proceedings before this court.
The State defendants in this action and in the other two actions are represented by the Attorney General. We shall on occasion refer to arguments advanced on behalf of the State defendants as arguments of the Attorney General.
[Note 3] In one of the other cases, the plaintiffs are the executive director, president, and treasurer, as individuals, officers, and representatives of the Massachusetts Coalition of Police, AFL-CIO. The Commissioner of Revenue is the only defendant.
In the third action, the plaintiffs are the International Brotherhood of Police Officers, the International Brotherhood of Correctional Officers, and five individuals who are citizens, voters, and taxpayers. The defendants are the same three State defendants named in the MTA action and the Treasurer of the Commonwealth, the Joint Labor-Management Committee (see St. 1979, c. 154, Section 1, amending St. 1977, c. 730, Section 1, as it inserted Section 4A in St. 1973, c. 1078), and the Board of Conciliation and Arbitration (see St. 1973, c. 1078, Section 4).
[Note 4] The characterization of the initiative proposal as "Proposition 2 1/2" is a blatant colloquialism. The word "proposition" is derived from a wellknown tax limitation measure submitted to the people of California in 1978 as Proposition 13. In California, matters put to popular vote are characterized as propositions. In Massachusetts, we simply call them questions.
The reference to "2 1/2" is not based on an offbeat numbering system. Proposition 2 1/2 was in fact the second question on the 1980 ballot. The reason for the reference to "2 1/2" is that the principal tax limitation feature of St. 1980, c. 580, is based on the initial objective of Section 1 of the act to restrict most cities' or towns' total annual assessments against their real and personal property to 2 1/2% of the fair cash value of that property.
We shall often use the expression "Proposition 2 1/2" in this opinion to refer either to the proposal or to the act, as the case may be.
[Note 5] This substantive challenge is to the renter's deduction, a deduction allowed, in computing a renter's State income tax liability, of one-half of the rent paid for the taxpayer's principal residence.
[Note 6] Unless otherwise indicated in this opinion, references to art. 48 are intended to refer to art. 48, as amended by art. 74.
[Note 7] The challenge to the renter's deduction is that the renter's deduction, on its face, violates equal protection of the laws principles and the specific requirements of the Constitution of the Commonwealth that taxes be uniform and proportionate. We discuss these questions at 239-245 below.
[Note 8] The Attorney General does not argue that any two or more of the subjects covered by Proposition 2 1/2 are "mutually dependent." We need not pause to consider whether any subjects which are mutually dependent could ever be said not also to be related.
[Note 9] We find no reason to reject this standard based on the Debates in the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention, 1917-1918 (1918). As initially proposed to the convention, the initiative measure had no provision concerning related subjects. In the course of the debates, Mr. Luce of Waltham, expressing concern over "log-rolling," moved that the resolution be amended to state that "[n]o proposed law shall contain more than one subject." 2 Debates 856. This proposal was not accepted in that form, but Mr. Quincy of Boston suggested as acceptable the words "shall not contain unrelated subjects," and the suggestion was adopted. Id. at 856-857. As finally presented and adopted, the concept was included as one of the requirements on which the Attorney General should pass in certifying the measure. Id. at 953, 960.
The rescript opinion in Scalley v. Registrars of Voters of Woburn, 358 Mass. 815 (1971), provides no support for the plaintiffs' position. There, a single referendum petition challenging eight pay increase ordinances separately passed by the Woburn city council was held to be a nullity because of the inadequacy of the description of the proposed measure. The lower court judge also ruled that the petition pertained to more than one measure or part of a measure. Id. at 816. Neither he nor this court said that the eight pay increase ordinances were unrelated.
[Note 10] In upholding Proposition 13 against a variety of challenges, the Supreme Court of California considered and rejected a claim that the constitutional amendments made by Proposition 13 violated the constitutional requirement that no initiative measure may embrace more than one subject. Amador Valley Joint Union High School Dist. v. State Bd. of Educ., 22 Cal. 3d 208, 229-232 (1978). Although the single subject limitation of the California Constitution seems to be more restrictive than our "related subjects" limitation, the California court noted that "an initiative measure will not violate the single-subject requirement if, despite its varied collateral effects, all of its parts are `reasonably germane' to each other." Id. at 230. See Fair Political Practices Comm'n v. Superior Court, 25 Cal. 3d 33, 39 (1979), cert. denied, 444 U.S. 1049 (1980). Two of the four major elements of Proposition 13 related to property taxation and the other two elements related to additional or increased State or local levies of other than property taxes. The court noted that the extensive publicity concerning Proposition 13 minimized the risk of voter confusion and deception, one of the reasons for the single subject limitation. Amador Valley Joint Union High School Dist. v. State Bd. of Educ., supra at 231. Choosing to "avoid an overly strict judicial application of the single-subject requirement," the court held that Proposition 13 did not violate the single subject requirement of the State Constitution. Id. at 232. See Coalition for Political Honesty v. State Bd. of Elections, 83 Ill. 2d 236, 258-260 (1980), and cases cited.
[Note 11] General Laws c. 59, Section 21C (3), inserted by St. 1980, c. 580, Section 1, provides as follows:
"Notwithstanding the provisions of sub-section (1), if in any city or town the total taxes assessed upon real estate and personal property as defined in this chapter in the fiscal year 1979 were less than two and one-half percent of the full and fair cash valuation thereof in such fiscal year, that lesser percentage shall be the maximum percentage of full and fair cash valuation at which such total taxes may be assessed under section one and if between the fiscal year 1979 and the effective date of the enactment of this section the total taxes so assessed shall have increased above the said lesser percentage, the total taxes so assessed shall be reduced annually by not less than fifteen percent of such total for each successive fiscal year until the total taxes so assessed shall not exceed the said lesser percentage."
[Note 12] In Cohen v. Attorney Gen., 354 Mass. 384 , 388-389 (1968), the court held that a petition that provided a uniform system of apportionment of representative districts but did not make an actual apportionment was not excluded from the initiative process.
[Note 13] The latter restriction seems applicable only to an initiative petition seeking a constitutional amendment because no statute adopted by an initiative petition (or otherwise) could effectively modify or be inconsistent with constitutional rights.
[Note 14] This argument appears to be a late arrival at the Proposition 2 1/2 battlefront. It was not raised below from all that appears, nor did the judge discuss the subject.
[Note 15] We see no basis for the claim of one plaintiff group that matters concerning the imposition of an income tax are not permissible subjects of an initiative petition. We would expect to look only to the provisions of art. 48 concerning the initiative petition for matters excluded from initiation by such a petition. This is particularly so as to income tax legislation because the income tax amendment (art. 44) preceded the adoption of art. 48 concerning the initiative petition by only three years.
[Note 16] Article 48, General Provisions, IV, of the Amendments (as amended by art. 74, Section 4), requires the Secretary of the Commonwealth to transmit to every registered voter "the full text of every measure to be submitted to the people" and certain additional material, including "other information and arguments for and against the measure" as may be provided by law. As to the current statutory requirements concerning the distribution of material, see G. L. c. 54, Section 53, which in part requires that each voter be sent arguments for and against each proposed measure.
[Note 17] Courts in other jurisdictions have given presumptive validity to determinations made by public officials charged with the responsibility of preparing descriptive ballot material. See Fletcher v. Bryant, 243 Ark. 864, 867-869 (1968); Amador Valley Joint Union High School Dist. v. State Bd. of Equalization, 22 Cal. 3d 208, 243 (1978); Epperson v. Jordan, 12 Cal. 3d 61, 66 (1938) (per curiam); Say v. Baker, 137 Colo. 155, 159-160 (1958).
[Note 18] This is the same deference to the judgment of the Attorney General that we shall extend to his opinion concerning the propriety of the perfecting amendment. See n.24 below and related text. The situation is different, however, where simply a question of law is involved, such as whether a matter is excluded from the initiative process or whether the subjects of the proposal are related within the requirements of art. 48.
[Note 19] The judge below noted that there is no dispute "that the present plaintiffs were well aware before the election of virtually all of the alleged inadequacies in the substance of the measure and the summary provided by the Attorney General." He thought that the plaintiffs had "had ample opportunity to seek pre-election relief." Whether these statements are correct as to all parties and as to virtually all issues, we need not determine. The doctrine of laches has no significant role in prompt, postelection challenges to the process by which an initiative measure was adopted. Sears v. Treasurer & Receiver Gen., 327 Mass. 310 , 326-327 (1951). However, this court has not hesitated to consider pre-election challenges to initiative proposals based on claimed failures to comply with art. 48. See, e.g., Opinion of the Justices, 375 Mass. 795 , 802 n.1 (1978), and cases cited; Brooks v. Secretary of the Commonwealth, 257 Mass. 91 , 96-97 (1926).
[Note 20] In light of the conclusion we express subsequently (see n.25) that Proposition 2 1/2 abolished binding arbitration in labor negotiations concerning police and firefighters, the statement to that effect in the summary was accurate and, therefore, fair.
[Note 21] Statute 1980, c. 580, Section 13, reads as follows:
"The provisions of this act are severable, and if any of its provisions or an application thereof shall be held unconstitutional by any court of competent jurisdiction, the decision of such court shall not affect or impair any of the remaining provisions or other applications thereof."
[Note 22] There were apparently approximately twenty-five other towns which were below 2 1/2% in the 1979 fiscal year, but it seems that they had not established their 1981 fiscal year tax levies at the time of the 1980 general election. Voters in these towns had no current levy to consider in assessing how to vote. As to them the summary was both erroneous and uninstructive, but not as forcefully misleading as in municipalities that had already fixed their fiscal 1981 tax rates. One additional town, Falmouth, had apparently no difference of significance between its 1979 and 1981 fiscal year tax levies.
[Note 23] The judge concluded, dealing with all sixty-five communities, that "the outcome of the popular vote on the Act would not have been affected even if every voter who voted in the affirmative or who left his vote blank on Question 2 in each of these 65 communities had voted in the negative (and, indeed, if every registered voter who neglected to come to the polls in each of those 65 communities had appeared to vote in the negative)."
[Note 24] In this respect, our deference to the opinion of the Attorney General is the same as that we extended in our consideration of the adequacy of his summary of the initiative petition. See n.18 above and related text.
[Note 25] The question whether, after the adoption of Proposition 2 1/2, the Joint Labor-Management Committee could order binding arbitration under Section 4A arises only indirectly in the consideration of the propriety of the "perfecting" amendment. It is appropriate, however, in passing on the validity of the perfecting amendment, to make the assumption that, upon the enactment of Proposition 2 1/2, binding arbitration could not be ordered under Section 4A.
Because the question of the existence of any continuing authority to order binding arbitration in proceedings under Section 4A had a bearing on our earlier consideration of challenges to the adequacy of the summary (see n.20 above), we note at this point that we construe the repeal of Section 4 by Section 10 of Proposition 2 1/2 as eliminating binding arbitration pursuant to Section 4A. Section 4A directs that "arbitration proceedings in matters over which the committee assumes jurisdiction, shall be conducted in accordance with the standards, provisions and limitations of said section four." With the repeal of Section 4, binding arbitration under Section 4A also was repealed. The summary's expression of the intention to eliminate binding arbitration is particularly instructive in construing the intention behind the enactment of Section 10. Moreover, as the judge noted, the Joint Labor-Management Committee had become "the dominant force in resolving police and firefighter labor deadlocks by means of binding arbitration." If binding arbitration were to be permitted under Section 4A after the repeal of Section 4, the purpose behind the enactment of Section 10, that is, the elimination of binding arbitration for policemen and firefighters, would be thwarted.
[Note 26] Section 11 reads as follows:
"Section 3 of Chapter 72 of the General Laws, as most recently amended by Chapter 599 of the Acts of 1977, is hereby further amended by adding after Part B (8) the following new sub-paragraph:
"(9) In the case of an individual who rents his principal place of residence in the Commonwealth, an amount equal to fifty percent of such rent."
The reference to c. 72 of the General Laws is wrong. The reference should be to G. L. c. 62. Also, the reference to Section 3 B (8) of G. L. c. 62 should be to Section 3 B (a) (8) of G. L. c. 62.
[Note 27] Article 44, which was approved by the people in 1915, authorizes the Legislature to impose and levy a tax on income. Such a tax must "be levied at a uniform rate throughout the commonwealth upon incomes derived from the same class of property. The general court . . . may grant reasonable exemptions and abatements." We regard as included within the words "exemptions and abatements" all kinds of tax provisions favorable to a taxpayer, including deductions from income and credits against tax obligations.
In addition to art. 44, the plaintiffs rely on the requirement of Part II, c. 1, Section 1, art. 4, of the Constitution of the Commonwealth that taxes be "proportional and reasonable," and the provisions in art. 10 of the Declaration of Rights that "each individual . . . in the enjoyment of his life, liberty and property . . . is obliged . . . to contribute his share to the expense of this protection." It has been said that the proportionality requirement of Part II, c. 1, Section 1, art. 4, presents a more precise statement of the general principle of art. 10. See Opinion of the Justices, 324 Mass. 714 , 727 (1949).
[Note 28] In the discussion that we next undertake concerning the stricter standard of art. 44, we note that support for the reasonableness of the renter's deduction may not as easily be found by reference to the operation of the Federal income tax law and the Commonwealth's system of local taxation of real estate.
[Note 29] In the matter of the assessment of local real estate taxes, there are numerous statements concerning the impropriety of imposing taxes on one class of property at a different rate from that applied to other classes. See, e.g., Opinion of the Justices, 344 Mass. 766 , 769 (1962) (exemption from local property tax of $5,000 of value of owner occupied residence disapproved. No benefit to, and a likely additional burden on, rent payers); Bettigole v. Assessors of Springfield, 343 Mass. 223 , 230-231 (1961) (disproportionate assessments); Opinion of the Justices, 324 Mass. 724 , 728-729 (1949), and cases cited (five-year exemption for newly constructed residences disapproved).
A strict rule of proportionality need not be satisfied where the Legislature has acted to allocate the burden of public expenses among cities and towns. See Brookline v. County Comm'rs of Norfolk, 367 Mass. 345 , 350-351 (1975). Also, proportionality in the matter of local taxation of property has never been applied between or among municipalities. See Associated Indus. of Mass., Inc. v. Commissioner of Revenue, 378 Mass. 657 , 663-666 (1979); Opinion of the Justices, 324 Mass. 724 , 729 (1949), and cases cited. The 1978 classification amendment (Part II, c. 1, Section 1, art. 4, as amended by art. 112 of the Amendments) allowing, for the purposes of local real estate taxation, limited classifications of property according to use and further allowing "reasonable exemptions" has provided an additional basis for departure from proportionality in the matter of local taxation of property. See Associated Indus. of Mass., Inc. v. Commissioner of Revenue, 378 Mass. 657 (1979).
[Note 30] Income as used in art. 44 is a broad concept. Shortly after the adoption of art. 44, this court construed art. 44 to express "a comprehensive idea" and said it should not "be given a narrow or constricted meaning." Tax Comm'r v. Putnam, 227 Mass. 522 , 526 (1917). "It must be interpreted as including every item which by any reasonable understanding can fairly be regarded as income." Id. Recently, we noted that 1971 changes in the income tax statutes were made "to utilize the full measure of [the Legislature's] power to tax incomes by adopting a general income tax, typically described as one taxing income irrespective of its source, in conformity with the Federal model." Ingraham v. State Tax Comm'n, 368 Mass. 242 , 247 (1975).
A taxpayer's use of his own residence may fairly be regarded as income, imputed income. See 1 B.I. Bittker, Federal Taxation of Income, Estates and Gifts par. 5.3.1, at 5-22 (1981); J.C. Chommie, Federal Income Taxation Section 17, at 34-35 (2d ed. 1973); R. Goode, The Individual Income Tax 117-125 (Brookings Inst., rev. ed. 1976); H.C. Simons, Personal Income Taxation 112 (1938). Other countries have attempted or currently do attempt to tax this form of income. See Merz, Foreign Income Tax Treatment of the Imputed Rental Value of Owner-Occupied Housing: Synopsis and Commentary, 30 Nat'l Tax J. 435 (1977). The Wisconsin Income Tax Law of 1911, upheld in Income Tax Cases, 148 Wis. 456, 512-513 (1912), appeal dismissed sub nom. Bolens v. Wisconsin, 231 U.S. 616 (1914), included the estimated rental value of owner-occupied residential property in income.
The Supreme Court once stated its view, in dicta, that the rental value of a building used by its owner does not constitute income within the meaning of the Sixteenth Amendment. Helvering v. Independent Life Ins. Co., 292 U.S. 371, 379 (1934). Although the Court has not considered the issue since, its conception of taxable income has, over time, grown more expansive than in the years following the enactment of the Sixteenth Amendment. See James v. United States, 366 U.S. 213, 218-220 (1961); Commissioner v. LoBue, 351 U.S. 243, 246 (1956); Commissioner v. Glenshaw Glass Co., 348 U.S. 426, 429-431 (1955); Helvering v. Bruun, 309 U.S. 461, 468-469 (1940). Legal commentators see little reason today to believe that it would be unconstitutional for Congress to tax imputed income from home ownership. 1 B.I. Bittker, supra, par. 5.3.3. Lowndes, Current Conceptions of Taxable Income, 25 Ohio St. L.J. 151, 152-153 (1964). S.S. Surrey & W.C. Warren, Federal Income Taxation 129 (1960).
One should not assume that the scope of art. 44's grant of authority to tax income is any less broad than the authority of Congress to tax income under the Sixteenth Amendment. In Tax Comm'r v. Putnam, supra, a stock dividend was held to be income subject to tax under art. 44's authorization, whereas three years later, in Eisner v. Macomber, 252 U.S. 189 (1920), the Supreme Court of the United States held that a stock dividend could not be taxed as income within the meaning of the Sixteenth Amendment.
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Making Business Contacts Essay Examples
2,903 total results
Networking and Building Relationships
How many people have you met in your lifetime? Of how many people you have met, do you currently keep in touch with? We all live in relationship. Every person is related to one another. We form a relationship with our families as we born, and we broaden a relationship with people as we grow up. There are many forms of relat...
An Analysis of the Role of Business Ethics in Business Decision Making
Business Ethics 'Companies do not have to be ethical, they are guided by the law; business ethics is an unnecessary consideration' To what extent do you agree with this statement? Support your argument with company responses to ethical responsibility. Ethics are the moral principles that should underpin decision-maki...
The Issue of Psychological Contracts in Robert L. Mathis' "Human Resource Management"
Employee retention often times involves much more than money and status. There are many factors to consider when looking at employee retention. The ones that made an impression on me include loyalty, motivation, and valuing employees to name a few. The importances of these factors are supported by research and real life exa...
An Analysis of the Theory That Any Two People on Earth are Connected To Each Other By An Average of Six Intermediate Contacts by Stanley Milgram
In the 1960s, Yale University psychologist Stanley Milgram tested and apparently verified the theory that any two people on Earth are connected to each other by an average of six intermediate contacts. This theory was the basis to the creation of social networking websites. Now what does a social networking site entail? It...
An Introduction to the Essay on the Topic of Internship
An internship refers to a system of on-the-job training for professional careers and white-collar jobs. University and college students make up the bulk of these internships as they seek to practice what they learn in class to the real life situation. It is vital to note that internships could also be the stepping-stone for...
A Comparison of the Life You Save May Be Your Own, a Good Man Is Hard to Find and Good Country People
In Flannery O’Connors’s “The Life You Save May Be Your Own,” “Good Country People,” and “A Good Man Is Hard To Find,” she explores the consequences of the combination of hypocrisy, gullibility in social contacts, and the role of being raised at mother’s knee. Reared a strict Roman Catholic and writing in the Bible Belt Sout...
Making Decisions in Life
Making decisions in life are often hard. There are many ways to make a decision in life. We always have more than one choice; life is what you make it. I’m a very passionate person; I believe everyone is equal and people should have the right to choose their own way in life. After reading the poem “The Road Not Taken” it wo...
Decision Making Tools and Techniques and Its Applications
Decision-Making Tool: Brainstorming The purpose of this paper is to define decision-making tools and techniques. This paper will define a decision-making tool, brainstorming, and explain its application as well as when and when not to use this tool. Throughout the paper I will define, apply and explain when and when not t...
An Analysis of Different Decision-Making Models
The path to our destination is not always a straight one. We go down the wrong road, we get lost, we turn back. Maybe it doesn't matter which road we embark on. Maybe what matters is that we embark. -Barbara Hall, Northern Exposure, Rosebud, 1993 As the Quote by Hall implies, we as individuals, sometimes embark uncert...
An Analysis of Tools and Techniques Used in Decision-Making During Difficult Situations
Tools and Techniques Paper When faced with a difficult situation there are several decision-making tools or techniques that one can employ, brainstorming is one of them. Brainstorming is a powerful technique that breaks through narrow thinking by tapping into ones creativity, calling on every viable, however random, soluti...
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NFOK14019U Microbiology of Fermented Food and Beverages
MSc Programme in Food Science and Technology
MSc Programme in Food Innovation and Health
MSc Programme in Biochemistry
MSc Programme in Sustainable Development in Agriculture (Agris Mundus)
MSc Programme in Animal Derived Food
The course will have major focus on the microorganisms involved in the processing of various fermented food and beverages. The course will deal with the taxonomy of important microorganisms especially lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and yeasts including both phenotypic characteristics and molecular typing techniques for their identification.
Methods for isolation including both culture and culture independent techniques will be covered. This will include techniques such as high through put sequencing as well as various tools for bioinformatics.
Various fermentation techniques will be introduced covering the use of starter cultures and other fermentation techniques such as back-slopping.
An introduction to various fermented foods and beverages will be given including products such as cheese, bread, wine and beer as well as a number of traditional indigenous fermented foods. Focus will additionally be on microbial interactions including topics such as quorum sensing, bacteriocin formation, etc.
The objective of the course is to give the students a thorough knowledge on the microbiology behind production of fermented food and beverages and to give the students skills within isolation and identification of microorganisms occurring in these products. Additionally the students will be able to evaluate the functionalities and applications of microbial starter cultures.
The students will gain knowledge within:
- microbiology in general and more specifically on the taxonomy of important groups of microorganisms identified from fermented food and beverages
- microbial taxonomic systems
- molecular techniques for identification and typing
- microbial physiology
- functionalities of different microorganisms in fermented food and beverages produced world-wide
- microbial interactions
The students will acquire skills within:
- development of procedures and plans for isolation and identification of the predominant microorganisms in fermented food and beverages
- understanding at the molecular level the behaviour and interaction between various groups of microorganisms
- understanding the measures required to ensure optimal product quality
- identification of the important parameters leading to optimal product quality and food safety
The students will acquire competences within:
- isolation of microorganisms from different types of fermented food and beverages
- evaluation of the composition of the microbiota of fermented food and beverages
- identification of the predominant microorganisms by both phenotypic and genotypic methods
- description of presumed functionalities of microorganisms in fermented food or beverages
Scientific publications, compendia and text book chapters.
- Practical exercises
- Theory exercises
- 7,5 ECTS
- Type of assessment
- Oral examination, 20 minThe students will hand in a minor report based on a theoretical topic and experimental results obtained during the practicals. At the time of the oral examination, one question is drawn, and the examination proceeds without preparation time. In due time before the exam the questions will be given to the students. At the exam the oral presentation of the report will account for 25% of the grade. The questions and the remaining curriculum will account for 75% of the grade.
- Exam registration requirements
report based on a theoretical topic and experimental results obtained during the practicals
- All aids allowed
- Marking scale
- 7-point grading scale
- Censorship form
- External censorship
Several internal examiners and one external examiner
The re-exam will likewise partly be based on an oral presentation of the report (25% of the grade). The student should hand in the report no later than two weeks before end of registration for the re-exam. Modification of the report before the re-exam is accepted.
Criteria for exam assesment
Fullfilment of learning outcome.
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The John Petropoulos Memorial Fund's Put Yourself in Our Boots campaign aims to reduce preventable injuries and fatalities and promote traffic and workplace safety for emergency service workers, including police, fire and EMS personnel.
The campaign is creating a culture where safety for emergency service workers - who may have to attend the premises in an emergency - is an integral aspect of every workplace.
The campaign includes a 10-minute safety video, as well as print,… Continue
Added by John Petropoulos Memorial Fund on October 29, 2010 at 12:11pm —
Parents of trick-or-treating kids can get so caught up in the fun themselves that they might forget some simple safety ideas that could keep everyone out of trouble. Having a fun and safe Halloween will make it all worth while!
Kids love Halloween! They get to dress up and get free candy! What a perfect holiday! Give your kids some precious Halloween memories that they'll have for… Continue
Added by Ken Oswald on October 26, 2010 at 9:19am —
The most obvious fix is to upgrade to a filtration media with higher efficiency. There are many good choices available, and a reputable filter supplier should be willing to guarantee in writing that the maximum emissions rate will fall below threshold limits established by OSHA or EPA for the… Continue
Added by Sal Campos on October 25, 2010 at 8:30am —
OSHA has announced that it's lowering the boom on workplace noise, requiring employers to implement administrative or engineering controls if they can afford them. It will interpret "feasible" in the noise regs for general industry and construction to mean "can be done," and cite companies even if they have hearing conservation programs in place.
OSHA currently hasn't been citing companies for lack of controls if the controls would be more expensive than a hearing conservation… Continue
Added by Dan Shipp on October 20, 2010 at 11:51am —
Outside of the changes in the amount of days allowed to teach the 10 (2) and 30 (40) hour classes. What other changes were made to how you instruct these classes from a year ago. My boss seems to think that there were no changes. I recently completed the OSHA 500 but am unaware of the changes that had occured and the impact it has on teaching the class. I would appreciate your help
Added by joseph peterson on October 18, 2010 at 11:19am —
I did some research this morning and created a blog post at Health and Safety Source
listing the most prominent and read-worthy pages concerning health, safety and first aid. Take a gander and leave a comment if you want your FB page included in this list and I will edit the post and add you. I have promoted this blog post heavily on social networking sites, so you will want to be included if you are in our niche.
Added by Health and Safety Source on October 11, 2010 at 12:58pm —
10 hour osha training $78.00 on site and online get started now.
Added by Earl Woodland on October 11, 2010 at 10:48am —
Controlling the high levels of dust generated in crushing operations to meet stringent permitting requirements is a difficult challenge for mining engineers. At one U.S. copper mine, the use of a cartridge-style dry dust collection system has reduced emissions to a level of only 0.00037 grains/dry… Continue
Added by Sal Campos on October 11, 2010 at 5:30am —
The OSHA 10 training program (also known as the OSHA Outreach Training) is the single most popular course for safety training in the US. This course is mandated in a number of states and over 1.6 million students have been trained over the past three years. OSHA authorizes trainers who complete the required training to teach this course, and students who complete the course receive an OSHA 10 hour card as proof of their completion.
In the past, the OSHA 10 course has been… Continue
Added by Peter Altuch on October 8, 2010 at 10:45am —
Does anyone have a good grasp on the changes on the crane standard?
Added by Ken Tabony on October 8, 2010 at 10:38am —
The Fall / Autumn 2010 issue of the vPSI Newsletter "H-E-A-R Say" has just been published and can be downloaded here:
Added by Norman Ritchie on October 7, 2010 at 5:24pm —
ATEX is short for the French term ATompheres EXplosibles in the title of the 94/9/EC directive. ATEX is related to dust collection by providing guidelines for equipment and electrical components used in different levels of explosive environments. ATEX provides guidelines for end users or workplaces… Continue
Added by Sal Campos on October 4, 2010 at 8:30am —
Uvex by Sperian has recently created a Culture of Safety section on their website to support safety proffesionals. One great resource is the The Guide to Eye and Face Protection which can be downloaded here. The blog section also features relevant articles focused on Eye and Face protection news and… Continue
Added by Andrai Whitted on October 1, 2010 at 9:57am —
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Perched high on the Kent Downs plateau sits the ancient common of Stelling Minnis.
Perched high on the Kent Downs plateau and close to the old Roman Road of Stone Street sits the ancient common of Stelling Minnis – a stunning area of extensive common land that largely escaped the fate of enclosure. Explore this area, enjoy the wildlife, picnic under the trees, visit the windmill and refresh yourself at the pub or village shop.
Cattle have been introduced onto the common again in order to graze an area of the common noted for its important plantlife and so restore the tradition of regular grazing on the common. Grazing will help to maintain the unique range of plants such as heather, harebell and western gorse that still survive on the common. Unlike mechanical mowing, grazing with breeds such as Highland Cattle has the advantage of removing the coarse and less desirable plant species and at the same time allowing a mosaic of short and tall grass areas.
- Take a walk around Stelling Minnis itself and visit the windmill, church and village pub.
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Kiva Zip loans aid low-income U.S. entrepreneurs
Updated 10:19 pm, Saturday, August 10, 2013
Next month, when Anna Tvelova opens up her second food kiosk using money from San Francisco crowdfunding website Kiva.org, she plans to invite all her lenders to the launch party.
Given that she has hundreds of lenders, it may turn into a very big party.
"I would never have thought that so many people would want to help - they've never met me or tried my food," said Tvelova, a Russian immigrant who opened her first kiosk, Anda Piroshki in Bernal Heights, with the aid of $5,000 in Kiva loans. After paying that back, she got $25,000 to help open a second branch in the Haight.
"I got amazing messages" from lenders, she recalled. "One woman wrote to me saying she'd be proud if I were her daughter. I felt so much emotional connection with them."
Kiva made its name by crowdfunding small loans to people in the Third World - help to buy a goat for a farmer in Peru, for instance, or a sewing machine for a single mom in Uganda. Now, with Kiva Zip, the nonprofit is trailblazing the concept for lower-income entrepreneurs in the United States. Its loans are made by almost 1 million people worldwide, who can chip in as little as $25.
Kiva Zip ( www.kivazip.org) seeks to dramatically scale crowdsourced microlending in the U.S. and Kenya, Kiva's two home bases. These small loans fill what Kiva calls "a critical lending gap" for small-scale capital. Despite being the main engine of the American economy, micro-enterprises - businesses with fewer than five employees - often face closed doors when they need funding.
"It's a killer statistic: 7 out of 10 small businesses that apply for a bank loan in the United States get rejected," said Premal Shah, Kiva president. "Just connect the dots of what could happen if we could say 'yes' more often to people used to hearing 'no.' "
Many Kiva Zip borrowers are people on the financial fringes who'd find it hard to borrow money through traditional channels. They may lack a credit history because they recently emigrated or previously worked in the all-cash economy.
Kiva Zip loans don't require credit scores or collateral. Borrowers are vouched for by people or entities called trustees. These can be nonprofits that work with entrepreneurs, community groups, or even a prior Kiva Zip borrower with a good repayment record. In the Bay Area, trustees include the city of Oakland as well as lots of nonprofits and business incubators.
The rationale is simple. While there are just 400 microlending institutions, mainly small nonprofits, in the United States, there are millions of churches, veterans groups, student groups and other organizations that could serve as trustees, Shah said.
"We're relying on character-based lending and people vouching for people," Shah said. "There are ways we know one another that aren't captured by a credit score or an automated algorithm. If an instructor at Mission Economic Development Agency sees that gleam in a student's eye, if that student always comes to (business) class on time, stays late and works the hardest, they can endorse that student on Kiva Zip."
"Micro" money means something different in this country than in the developing world. Initial U.S. Kiva Zip loans average $6,000; entrepreneurs with good repayment track records can then seek progressively larger loans, up to $25,000. Overseas loans, by contrast, average around $400.
Kiva Zip cuts lending costs through technology. Transactions are facilitated for free by PayPal, where Shah was an early employee. Kiva is also seeking to enlarge microlending in different ways. This month, for instance, it partnered with online marketplace Etsy to give its artisans access to capital to start or expand their businesses.
Kiva Zip posts photos and stories of people seeking loans. Every borrower's Web page includes a private area for conversations with their lenders, who send encouraging messages or advice. Some lenders go a step further to become brand ambassadors.
"One borrower, Bryan Hermannsson of Pacific Brewing Laboratory in San Francisco, said several of his lenders have asked restaurants around town to stock his beer," said Jonny Price, Kiva Zip senior director. Other lenders make it a point to tout "their" entrepreneur's business on Yelp and to friends.
Christina Ruiz of San Francisco last year opened TopShelf Boutique, a "mobile fashion" shop she ran out of a truck partially funded with a $5,000 Kiva Zip loan. A second loan for $10,000 helped her move into a bricks-and-mortar space in Crocker Galleria and hire two employees.
"The crowdfunding concept is great," she said. "Anyone can feel like they're helping out your business without going broke. It can be awkward to go to friends and family to ask for money. This makes it non-threatening, and it's a complete platform, so you don't have to work out terms."
Kiva Zip borrowers create their Web pages after receiving a trustee's recommendation and being approved by Kiva. They have three months to crowdsource their target amount. If they fall short of their goal, they don't receive the loan.
Zip borrowers average two years to repay their loans through monthly installments. The repayment rate for U.S. Zip loans so far is 85.1 percent, much less than Kiva's regular international repayment rate of 99 percent.
Kiva said the higher default rate is due to extending Zip to people who might be considered extra risky. There are no consequences for borrowers who don't repay, but defaults mean the trustee who endorsed the borrower has less ability to vouch for others.
For Tvelova, the Kiva funds made a huge difference. After emigrating from Russia "my credit history was good but short," she said. "It would have been impossible for me to get a loan from the bank." She was endorsed for Kiva loans by two incubators for food businesses, Oakland's Centro Community Partners and San Francisco's La Cocina.
"When you're just starting, every penny is important," Tvelova said. More than that, she was touched that hundreds of people all over the world chipped in to support her.
Among them was 73-year-old Howard Zugman of Pinole, who takes the $50 he earns three times a week singing big band songs at a senior residence and makes two $25 loans to low-income entrepreneurs all over the world through Kiva.
"They have a lot of guts, these people busting their butts to start a business," he said. "It costs me next to nothing, because they're good about paying the loans back."
Last month, Zugman and his sister - who also lends through Kiva, in part to educate her grandchildren about giving back - trekked to San Francisco to sample the wares at the food kiosk run by Tvelova. "She's a wonderful lady," Zugman said. "When we told her that we were Kiva lenders who came to see her, she was flattered and gave us some more piroshki. They were delicious but my waistline didn't need them."
After almost six years as a Kiva lender, Zugman has loans outstanding in 49 countries, and said his repayment rate has been extraordinarily high. Defaults on his loans have amounted to less than 0.7 percent. He often opts for six-month terms to turn the money over quickly in new loans.
"I plan to keep singing until I'm 80," he said. "I figure if I bring in $100,000 in singing fees and turn it an average of 10 times, I'll have put out $1 million worth of loans before I stop singing. I'm getting to do some good in the world."
Kiva by the numbers
|Loans made||Value of loans||Repayment rate||Lenders||Field partners/ trustees|
|Kiva.org (72 countries)||1,098,828||$460.09 million||99.0%||971,616||212|
|Kiva Zip (U.S.)||367||$1.60 million||85.2%||9,578||202|
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Tarot Cards - The Page of Cups
Page of Cups
Upright - A symbol of Imagination. May indicate a time for quiet reflection. Depending upon surrounding cards: a messenger bringing news of an engagement, marriage or birth. A reflective, poetic, quiet and artistic person, gentle and kind. A person with a wealth of knowledge, giving freely his advice. A person gifted with much foresight.
Ill Dignified or Reversed - Depending upon surrounding cards: a deception that will be uncovered. A failure to make meaningful commitments and shallow self indulgence. A person with much surface and shallow knowledge, a jack of all trades. A scheming person that is selfish and keeps his knowledge to himself. he has an appreciation of the beautiful but is not applied enough to become an artist. A person who is lazy and given to lies and harmful gossip.
TAROT CARD MEANING SHEET
DISCOVER TAROT ON iPHONE, iPAD AND ANDROID.
Learn Tarot Card Meanings, what they mean when combined in a reading, test your knowledge in the Tarot Quiz and reveal what the future may hold with the Tarot Reading App.
Paranormality.com was set up to provide an A to Z of the unexplained, supernatural and paranormal. Read about our radio appearances, book reviews, add a URL, visit the shop or enquire about our reciprocal banners, text links, or advertising by contacting us.
Paranormality.com - The A to Z of the paranormal, supernatural and unexplained phenomena. Site map.
View topics by alphabetical index: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Main sections: Home page | Tarot cards | Star signs/Horoscopes | Jewelry | Haunted directory | ESP | Dreams | Shop | Make contact.
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CNET News.com: Chipmaker wants to revive the free PCFeb 14, 2001, 08:06 (0 Talkback[s])
(Other stories by John G. Spooner)
[ Thanks to David Walser for this link. ]
"ZF Linux Devices is attempting to resurrect the free PC movement by cutting costs like never before."
"The 5-year-old company, which makes a low-cost microprocessor called the MachZ, has developed a blueprint for an inexpensive PC called the Z-Port. The company promises to license the design to interested Internet service providers for free."
"Several companies will use MachZ in portable devices, including a handheld credit card transaction machine, Feldman said. A company in Japan will use the MachZ to build a Linux-based office server for sharing files and Internet access. Yet another company will use the chip inside a digital camera to process digital images without the assistance of a desktop PC, Feldman said. And one other company is building a residential gateway with MachZ. The device will plug into a telephone line, establish an Internet connection and allow multiple PCs to share that connection using Bluetooth, the short-range wireless networking technology."
0 Talkback[s] (click to add your comment)
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Silicon Valley Code Camp : October 5th and 6th 2013session
Unit Testing ASP.Net MVC
About This Session
MVC applications are designed for testability, but out of the box ASP.Net MVC applications still have issues that prevent you from having good unit tests. Rather than taking the typical TDD approach, this session we will take an existing MVC application and modify the code to make it unit-testable. This method of learning reinforces unit test concepts which must be learned before tackling TDD. You will also learn about repositories, mocks, and dependency injection.
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I love the iPad's aluminum back. It makes it feel solid, which is a must for its thinness. But it's heavy too. Apple may be thinking about the possibility of making their iOS tablet lighter by changing it to carbon fiber.
At least, that's what their latest iPad patent is all about. Carbon fiber is light, but it's also brittle and it can crack if it's bent or rolled in the wrong way. Their patent describes a method to create a "reinforced device housing" that may avoid the problems associated with this kind of cases.
However, the patent was filed on May 18, 2009, which predates Apple's purchase of all rights to LiquidMetal technology, a hybrid material with the strength and anti-corrosive nature of metals like titanium and stainless steel, with the benefits of plastics and composites, such as extreme flexibility and easy casting.
Still, a carbon fiber iPad looks quite attractive to me. [Apple Insider]
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The Junior League is a charitable, not-for-profit organization of women who make sustainable improvements in their communities as a result of the civic leadership training and expertise they obtain through their experience in the League.
Today, The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. is comprised of more than 155,000 women in 293 Junior Leagues throughout Canada, Mexico, the U.K. and the U.S. Collectively, we constitute one of the most powerful volunteer organizations in the world.
The Junior League experience
Members of The Junior League acquire mentors who help them reach their potential as leaders, form strong ties with their communities as a result of the impact they make, and develop friendships that last a lifetime.
The benefits of membership
Members of The Junior League obtain valuable skills and experiences that enable them to reach their potential as leaders in their communities. Here are a few of the areas in which they acquire skills or knowledge:
Community needs assessment
Lights, Camera, Action!
Check out video footage submitted by individual Junior Leagues.
Jackie Butcher de Rivas
Jacqueline Butcher de Rivas, The Junior League of Mexico City
TEDxDF - El arte de Dar
Con Maestría y Doctorado en Desarrollo Humano por la UIA, tiene una trayectoria de labor comunitaria de más de 35 años. Es investigadora a nivel internacional del fenómeno de la acción voluntaria. Presidió la Sociedad Internacional de Investigadores del Tercer Sector (ISTR) y el CEMEFI. Es consejera de FUNSALUD y Vocal del Consejo Ciudadano Consultivo. Entre sus últimas publicaciones se incluye el libro México Solidario: participación ciudadana y voluntariado. Actualmente es la presidente y directora del Centro de Investigación y Estudios sobre la Sociedad Civil (CIESC), A.C.
The Junior League of Philadelphia
The Junior League of Philadelphia, Inc. hosted the Green Carpet Event, an eco-friendly fashion show benefitting the JLP's community projects and leadership training mission.
Interview on One on One
The Junior League of the Oranges and Short Hills
The Junior League of the Oranges and Short Hills, NJ President Sandy Loprete appears on One on One with Steve Adubato to promote the League's book, The Littlest Volunteers. Sandy talks to Steve about the book's important message to children about voluntarism and the program that is being used in the local elementary schools.
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Sorry, this course is inactive. Please contact our office to see if it will be reinstated, or if alternative classes are available.
This course offers students exposure to all practical aspects of a veterinary practice. Students learn animal behavior, pharmacology, safety, veterinary nursing techniques, client education skills, basic animal husbandry, wellness plans and veterinary hospital operations. Curriculum follows the guidelines outlined by the Texas Veterinary Medical Association for their Certified Veterinary Assistant Program. The instructor will cover the material for Level I, II and III testing requirements. Upon completion of the course, students should be eligible to take the state of Texas certification level 1 examination. Per TVMA requirements, CVA I must complete 6 months practical work experience prior to sitting for CVA Level II examination. Likewise, CVA II must also complete 6 months practical work experience prior to sitting for CVA Level III examination.
Total Hours: 708 (208 classroom, 500 externship)
Prerequisites: High school diploma or equivalent, current immunizations, and the ability to lift 50 lbs.
Fee: Includes textbook(s), one set of scrubs, and CVA Level I certification exam.
**Additional costs: Required immunizations and drug screen.
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The Evolution of Solar Power
Solar power for the home has never been more attainable than it is today thanks to recent breakthroughs in technology and pricing innovations but it has taken a long time to reach this point. Even the term solar power can mean many different things. Here's a look at solar power past, present and future for the home.
Solar Power in the Past: Ancient and Recent History
Passive solar power has been used for centuries; indeed, Roman bathhouses in the first century are known to have featured large south-facing windows, and architects today continue the smart practice of orienting a house and its windows to take advantage of sunlight's effect. Solar water, which is heated for household use by a system of rooftop collectors and storage tanks, has also been a recognized technology for many years.
By contrast, solar power that actually provides usable electricity is relatively new. The technology is called photovoltaics (converting light, aka photons, into electricity, aka voltage). Although scientists have been aware of the photovoltaic effect since the 1830s, it wasn't until 1954 that a photovoltaic (PV) cell was developed at Bell Labs with a remarkable characteristic: It could convert sunlight into enough power to run household electrical equipment. The cell relied on silicon, an element found in sand; silicon converts the sun's energy into electricity. As with many cutting-edge technologies, early PV efforts were extremely costly, limiting their use initially to such small applications as wristwatches and calculators or to such large endeavors as NASA's space program, which used PV cells for spacecraft and satellites.
Solar Power in Homes Today: It's a PV Story
Gradually, solar power has been entering the residential market: Since the 1970s, when the first PV system for a residence was installed, there have been 150,000 PV installations, according to industry experts. Currently, federal and state rebates help promote the use of solar. (You can check what is available in your state at a clearinghouse known as DSIRE, the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency.) Even so, only .03 percent of U.S. electricity was generated by solar power in 2010, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, while 70 percent of the 4,120 billion kilowatts of electricity generated in 2010 was from fossil fuels (coal, natural gas and petroleum).
For residential use, solar cells are typically grouped into panels, which are then installed on a south-facing rooftop in an arrangement commonly referred to as an array. For example, one solar panel that produces 250 watts might be grouped in an array of 20 panels to create a 5-kilowatt-hour system. Residential photovoltaic systems are typically 3 kwh to 10 kwh, with the appropriate size depending on household use, available rooftop space and sun orientation, among other factors. (An average American household uses 10,000 kilowatts of electricity per year; a 5-kwh system generates an average of 6,000 kilowatts per year.) The array is connected to an inverter inside the home, which then controls the flow of electricity to the house's circuit breaker and also to a utility company that may credit the household if excess power is generated.
New technology continues to create more efficient and reliable PV cells and solar panels not to mention improved aesthetics but cost remains the single biggest barrier for homeowners, according to a 2009 report by the Clean Energy Group, a Vermont-based nonprofit group that promotes increased use of clean energy technologies in the U.S. The materials and installation for a 5-kwh system can run $35,000, although federal and state rebates may cut that cost in half.
Solar Leasing: The Newest Pricing Innovation
For homeowners who can't afford the initial cost of a solar PV installation, leasing may offer the right economics. SolarCity, a California-based solar installer that operates in 11 states, offers solar leasing options that provide materials, installation, insurance, monitoring and repair for zero money up-front. The homeowners pay a monthly leasing fee of approximately $100 for an average-sized system and will see their monthly power bill reduced by more than the leasing fee. SolarCity's leasing program, introduced in 2008, has been extremely popular. "We have 15,000 residential customers, and 12,000 of them use the financing option," said Jonathan Bass, a SolarCity spokesman. "Solar is a great investment whether you purchase or lease, but initial cost has absolutely been the #1 barrier to adoption," he said.
Solar Roof Shingles: A New Technology
A new product expected to be available this fall may also increase the number of homeowners who are able to utilize solar power. The solar roofing shingle, a building-integrated photovoltaic product (BIPV), is designed to be installed just like an ordinary roofing shingle. Nailed to the roof, the shingle lays flush with other roofing shingles, thereby eliminating the raised structures that hold arrays of solar PV panels. The cost of the solar shingle, plus the fact that it can be installed by a roofing contractor and an electrician, rather than a solar specialist, are expected to make the BIPV shingle an affordable option; a homeowner can benefit from federal and state rebates to lessen the cost, as well. Two Michigan-based companies are currently in final development of solar roofing shingles: Uni-Solar's "PowerShingle" and Dow's "Powerhouse" shingle.
Solar Roof Shingles 03:41
Solar Power for the Home: A Sunnier Future
The renewable-energy industry points to data showing that more than 90 percent of Americans favor solar energy use, a trend likely to remain constant with today's heightened awareness of the benefits of clean energy. Legislation such as the "Ten Million Solar Roofs Act of 2011," recently introduced in Congress, has a stated goal of powering 10 million homes and businesses with solar energy by 2020; the bill's details include rebates that would reduce the $35,000 cost of a 5-kwh system to as little as $7,875. It's been a long time in the making, but more widespread solar use may finally be seeing the light of day.
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Hot answers tagged gravity-reading
You are absolutely correct. Unless something is dissolved into the liquid, or there's so much trub that the hydrometer is sitting on top of it, the reading will be unaffected.
Bottom line: its impossible for the gravity to decrease during boil. You only evaporate water, leaving an increasingly sugary solution. So there is an error with your preboil postboil or both gravity readings. Most common reasons for incorrect readings: Incomplete Mixings Failure to to a temperature adjustment Related to the second - Uncalibrated ...
Unless you added sugar or evaporated water, a misreading is the only answer I can come up with. Always make sure to spin your hydrometer to ensure there are no air bubbles forcing it up higher. Any chance your dog knocked in a pound of DME? :)
Alcohol in fermented beer skews the refractometer reading. You need to use a correction formula in order to get an accurate reading.
I'd pick up a wine thief, dips in and fills from the bottom. Some can even house the hydrometer. Otherwise a turkey baster does the trick. Be sure to clean and sanitize anything that comes in contact with your wort though.
Looks like you are doing it right to me, using those calculators. The only thing that might change your actual # is the calibration temp of your hydrometer. Be sure that it is 20C. Some hydrometers are closer to 15 or 18C, depends on the manufacturer. Although that won't change your OG much. 67% mash efficiency does seem like a normal for BIAB. If the ...
You won't be introducing that much oxygen by opening the fermentation bucket to simply take a gravity sample, unless you go stirring it up or something.
I can see that your post mash and post boil gravities are really off. For example you state an estimated post mash gravity 1.037 after correction, but then have 1.030 post boil. This would only be possible if you diluted with water. Post boil will always be higher from the boil off evaporation. In any case, I think the hydrometer calculator is setting you ...
If the trub is actually physically holding the hydrometer up, preventing it from moving down, then unambiguously: yes, the trub will render your hydrometer reading useless. If, on the other hand, the trub is suspended in the liquid, it is a mixed bag. Suspended solids will impact a hydrometer reading, but for brewers it is usually very minimal. The only ...
I guess you're assuming the sample will continue to ferment with suspended yeast? There's quite a few reasons why this can fail: the sample may not be at the same temperature as the beer (both due to it's location plus it lacks the exothermic heat produced from the large volume of yeast in the main ferment.) the sample may become contaminated and ferment ...
Most likely user error with a small difference possible due to temperature and/or dissolved co2 floating the hydrometer. It's also possible that there is a density gradient, though it seems less likely after 2 weeks of fermenting.
Brewing tools like BeerSmith provide refractometer correction tools when taking readings of fermenting or fermented beer. You measure the SG of a given sample both with a hydrometer and a refractometer. This then allows you to determine the "skew factor" that is typical for you. You can then use this to correct subsequent refractometer readings. It's not ...
First, I can't see your images from my work computer so I'll explain it from scratch. Each type of grain (base malt and adjuncts) have a potential yield of sugar. For simplicity's sake, we'll use the "point system" (that is Specific Gravity minus 1 times 1000), so for a Specific Gravity of, say, 1.040, we would say that you have 40 point (1.040-1 = .040, ....
Getting those bucket lids off is a bothersome task. I always use the spigot straight into the test jar. Then I spray the closed spigot with a spray bottle filled with starsan to clean it after I pull a sample.
I always use the tap. You really want to minimise the number of times you open up the fermenter as it can lose some of the protective CO2 layer on top and can let wild yeast or other nasties in. Dipping things into your beer is another thing you want to minimise to reduce disturbing the beer and the risk of infection. But if you open the tap slowly and ...
I'd consider that within a reasonable margin of error. It will hardly affect your beer in a noticeable way. I wouldn't worry about it at all. In any case, that's pre boil. If you just boil a bit longer, you'll have slightly less beer but you'll be able to hit your intended OG. As to why it happened, there are any number of reasons for a minor thing like ...
Only top voted, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible
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Click here to view handouts from 2010 - 2013 conferences. (Under agenda, then archives)
Click here to view past conference highlights.
Presented at the 20th Annual Research Conference
Download Handouts: 2mb pdf
Session Number: 13 Room: Salon G
Presenting: Brenda Scafidi; William Hydaker ; Lenore Behar
All Authors for this paper: Brenda Scafidi; William Hydaker ; Lenore Behar
Presentation Type: paper presentation
Synopsis: System of Care communities continue to explore strategies to engage system partners in transformation efforts. Concept Mapping is an effective strategy, as a mixed qualitative-quantitative method whereby qualitative procedures are used to generate data that can be analyzed using quantitative methods. Concept Mapping is a structured, research-based process that allows a group of stakeholders to identify the importance and feasibility of action steps toward their goal through brainstorming and rating activities where each participant has equal voice. Concept Mapping was used in Mississippi's COMPASS SOC to compare the responses of the community with those generated by the state-level planning council.
Date: Monday, March 5, 2007
Session Time: 1:15 PM - 2:45 PM
Presentation Time: 2:15 PM - 2:45 PM
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The Components of Health-Related Fitness
The basic components of health-related fitness are cardiovascular function, body composition, strength, and flexibility. These are the very same components found in performance-related fitness. The major difference lies in the degree to which each component is developed within the two areas.
Cardiovascular function is the most important component in the health-related fitness area. The leading cause of death among the adult populations of most industrialized societies throughout the world is circulatory disease of various kinds. The United States leads the world in this gruesome statistic.
Although the evidence accumulated thus far is not unequivocal, many cardiologists, physiologists, and other health professionals are convinced that physical activity at levels sufficiently high enough to promote improved cardiovascular function is a potent factor in either preventing circulatory disease altogether or reducing its effect if it does occur. It is clear that sedentary individuals have a much higher incidence of myocardial infarction, and that the fatality rate is higher in those who are not very physically active.
Body composition is defined as the relative percentages of fat and fat-free body mass. It is an important correlation to cardiovascular function as far as health-related fitness is concerned. In addition, an increased incidence of coronary heart disease among obese persons, certain other health problems are manifested. These include greater risk of developing and suffering from hypertension, diabetes melitus, gallbladder disease, degenerative arthritis, kidney disease, adverse postural changes, delayed puberty in children, and decreased endurance and work capacity. It has been estimated if all the deaths related to obesity were removed, the life span for Americans would increase by 7 years.
Strength is the relative capacity of a muscle or muscle group for exerting force against some external resistance. The importance of strength to high level performance in sport activities is rather obvious to most persons. The importance of strength in general health is perhaps less clear. However, stronger muscles better protect the joints which they cross. Thus, the individual is less susceptible to strains sprains, and pulls that sometimes occur when participating in physical activity. In addition, better tone in the muscles of the trunk helps to prevent some of the more common postural problems that plague us like sagging abdominal organs, rounded shoulder, low back pain, etc.
Flexibility refers to the degree to which a joint may move through its maximal possible normal range of motion. The determining factor in joint range of motion is the extensibility of the associated connective tissue in and around the joint tendons and ligaments. From a health standpoint, loss of joint flexibility often contributes to postural difficulties. These usually result from the adaptive shortening of connective tissue on one side of a joint concurrent with a loss of tone in the muscles on the opposite side of the joint. This can be avoided or reversed through therapeutic exercise.
From a chiropractic treatment point of view, maintaining a strong, well-conditioned body is critical to the maintenance of good health throughout a person’s lifetime. As chiropractors, we are keenly aware of our role in guiding our patients in cardiovascular, body composition, strength and flexibility.
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Los Angeles, Long Beach Add E-Cigarettes to Clean Air Laws
Growing number of cities are taking action
Posted by: Editor | Mar 7, 2014
This week, the Los Angeles and Long Beach City Councils voted to prohibit use of electronic cigarettes in restaurants, bars and other public places and work places where cigarette smoking is also prohibited. San Francisco is considering similar legislation and a vote is anticipated soon.
Adding e-cigarettes furthers the fundamental purposes of these laws: To protect everyone’s right to breathe clean, healthy air in workplaces and public places. E-cigarettes should be included for several reasons:
E-cigarettes currently are not regulated, manufacturers are not required to disclose what is in them or in their emissions and there are important gaps in our knowledge of their impact on the health of users and non-users. Nicotine and other toxic substances have been found in exhaled e-cigarette vapor. Given the concerns about the health impact of e-cigarettes, it makes sense to prevent exposure by non-users in workplaces and public places.
Including e-cigarettes in current smoke-free air laws will simplify enforcement of the law and avoid confusion about where smoking is and isn’t allowed. Businesses and city officials will not have to distinguish between e-cigarettes and conventional cigarettes.
Smoke-free laws create an environment that encourages smokers to quit and discourages kids from smoking. Including e-cigs will preserve these benefits.
Los Angeles, Long Beach, New York City and Chicago have taken important steps to protect public health. Other cities and states should follow their lead.
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Complete Case details are given below :
Case Name : PepsiCo, Inc.: Cost Of Capital
Authors : Kenneth Eades, David Thornhill
Source : Darden School of Business
Case ID : UV2297
Discipline : Finance
Case Length : 13 pages
Solution Sample availability : YES
Plagiarism : NO (100% Original work)
Description for case is given below :
A Wall Street Journal article states, “At PepsiCo, Inc., cola was king, but it is quietly being dethroned.” PepsiCo is composed of three lines of business: soft drinks, restaurants, and snack foods. Using data from comparable pure-play companies, the student is asked to compute divisional costs of capital and see if they can be reconciled with the company’s reported cost of capital, 11%.
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H&E slides become cloudy because of insufficient clearing after the staining process. In this post, we explain why the cloudiness occurs during or after your H&E staining protocol and how to adjust your procedure to correct it for good.
Whether you’re using a regressive staining technique, such as Harris H&E, or a progressive technique, such as Gill’s H&E, excessive stain, moisture, and alcohol is removed throughout the process.
The basic steps of performing an H&E stain are:
- Remove paraffin wax using a solvent (xylene)
- Remove solvent using alcohol rinses
- Re-hydrate the specimen
- Apply hematoxylin to stain nuclei
- “Blue” the specimen further
- If using a Harris H&E: Differentiate using a weak alcohol
- Apply eosin as a counterstain
- Dehydrate in alcohol rinses
- Rinse in a solvent (xylene)
- Finish mounting the slide
The final steps are to remove the excess water within the specimen using alcohol rinses, then expose the slide to a solvent to remove any remaining alcohol. This process prepares the slide properly for mounting. If the slide containing the specimen contains any water residue at this final stage, the slide will appear cloudy. The cloudiness will appear immediately and will present a blotchy cloudy appearance if coverslipped.
There are two main causes for cloudiness within an H&E-stained slide:
1. Insufficient stain clearing in the alcohol (insufficient dehydration)
Insufficient dehydration occurs after the eosin is applied as a counterstain. There are two possibilities for fixing this issue:
- Leave the specimen in the 100% alcohol rinse (step 8 above) longer. This will allow the alcohol rinse to remove all the excess stain and moisture, assuring an ideal specimen for mounting.
- Replace the alcohol rinses. If the 100% alcohol solution, in particular, hasn’t been replaced often enough, the solution can become diluted with water, which lowers the concentration of alcohol. If the percentage of alcohol is below the target concentrations, it will not remove excess moisture. Refresh the alcohol solutions to better dehydrate the specimen.
- Replace the xylene solvent. If any moisture has remained in the specimen as it was transferred to the xylene, or if the alcohol rinse had an improper ratio of alcohol to water in the final step before mounting, that water could be transferred to the solvent. This would also cause cloudiness in the slide. Refresh the solvent to properly clear the slide.
2. Inconsistent solution volumes in staining containers.
Cloudiness can also occur if the volume of liquids in the alcohol or xylene solution containers are not leveled to the proper depths. This could mean that the alcohol solution depths are not sufficient to cover the slide surface, and therefore, the alcohol doesn’t properly remove all moisture and excess stain that was existing on the surface of the slide. Fix this issue by returning the slide to the xylene solvent, then place it in fresh 100% alcohol solution at the appropriate depth. Finally, clear with fresh xylene and mount the slide.
Correcting your protocol to replace the alcohol solutions and xylene solvent solutions at regular intervals will help prevent this issue moving forward. This will also help your team maintain consistency when staining histology specimens.
If you have additional questions, or if you’re still experiencing issues with your slides after trying these corrections, our team is here to help! Call one of our microscopy experts at 856-224-0900 or email at email@example.com.
Additional histology and cytology slide corrections are also available in our ebook, Lab Technician’s Guide to Troubleshooting Common Issues with Biological Stains. Download it today.
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ATLANTA (AP) -- New numbers show that Georgia has seen a slight drop in the number of motorcycle fatalities.
The Georgia Governor's Office of Highway Safety reported that new data made available Wednesday shows that the state had slightly fewer deadly motorcycle wrecks in 2012 than during 2011.
The statistics show that the majority of motorcycle fatalities occurred in urban areas and in the foothills of the north Georgia mountains.
Authorities say Fulton County saw the greatest number of motorcyclist fatalities statewide.
Also, DeKalb County saw a significant increase in the number of motorcyclist fatalities from 2011 to 2012.
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Karimunjawa (literally "a stone's throw from Java") is a small archipelago of 27 islands North of central Java, Indonesia. Although only 80km away, the islands are a world apart from the hustle and bustle of Java. Technically most of the islands are part of the Karimunjawa National Park, and even though the Indonesian interpretation of "national park" can be sometimes questionable, their beauty is not; they are for the most part still pristine.
The photo is part of the Where’s Paradise? project, that puts side by side the western idea of paradise that conjures images of small tropical islands with white sandy beaches and coconut groves and the actual lives of the actual people that live in these often remote places.
Find out more about the project by visiting wheresparadise.com
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What is a wiki?
"Wiki" (English pronunciation: /wi:ki:/) is a Hawaiian word for "fast". Wiki is a web site that is fully editable from any web browser, by anyone without any technical computing knowledge or tools. All one need is a computer with an Internet connection. It is not a product on one person, but of many. A wiki enables documents to be written collaboratively.
According to Wikipedia –
"A wiki is a website that uses wiki software, allowing the easy creation and editing of any number of interlinked Web pages,… Wikis are often used to create collaborative websites, to power community websites, for personal note taking"
Ward Cunningham described the essence of the Wiki concept as follows:
"A wiki invites all users to edit any page or to create new pages within the wiki Web site, using only a plain-vanilla Web browser without any extra add-ons. Wiki promotes meaningful topic associations between different pages by making page link creation almost intuitively easy and showing whether an intended target page exists or not. A wiki is not a carefully crafted site for casual visitors. Instead, it seeks to involve the visitor in an ongoing process of creation and collaboration that constantly changes the Web site landscape"
What is the difference between a wiki and a blog?
- A blog, or web log, shares writing and multimedia content in the form of “posts” and “comments” where no one is able to change a comment or post made by another. For this reason, blogs are often used to express individual opinions. A wiki has a far more open structure and allows others to change what one person has written. This feature enables group consensus to build over individual opinion.
- Adam F. of wikispaces states that "a blog is like a journal. It's great if you want to have an ongoing dialogue or discussion… about any topic. A wiki, however, is more about evolving the same content over time. Blogs are about communicating, wikis are about getting work done, or working together"
- Wikis are best for group collaboration and research. Wiki pages can easily link to each other. When you create new wiki pages, they are instantly available for searching and for other pages to link to.
Benefits of wiki:
- As Cooperative and Collaborative tool it engages learners with each other through discussion and sharing of information. This leads to positive interdependence of group members, individual accountability, peer interaction and group work.
- As Constructivist tool it allows learners to actively create and construct their own knowledge through interaction and manipulation with learning material and seeing the outcomes of their manipulation.
- As Discussion tool it can initiate threaded discussions on the project topic which provide students to articulate their learning.
- Monitoring: User or community can monitor the changes occurring on pages which develop skills of seeking assistance, negotiating problems and arriving at solutions.
- Asynchronous communication enhances peer interaction and distribution of learning experiences.
- As a writing assignment tool it maximizes reflection, reviewing, observing results.
- Wiki is an effective tool in project planning and documentation.
· How do I plan to use the wiki in my teaching-learning processes?
· Which wiki service provider is best suitable for my kind of settings?
· What constraints I may encounter while using wiki?
· Vandalism vs Editing: How do I check vandalism by someone in the class wiki?
· Which pedagogical approach does wiki offer for your classroom?
· How different is editing a wiki page and a document?
· What theme did you choose and why did you think that theme is appropriate for your classroom settings?
· Do you think that there is risk associated with distributing mass user IDs and passwords without creating awareness in the students?
· Do you think it is essential to show the tutorial to the students also?
· What makes a wiki important in education – its design or the ease of navigation for collaboration?
· Do you know there may be various ways to collaborate in a wiki?
· Do you agree that a wiki could be used for collaboration for any subject at all grade levels?
· In what other ways collaboration could take place in your classroom settings?
· Is grouping essential for wiki collaboration or individual collaboration can also be a good alternative?
· Do you agree that collaboration can only be successful if questions and answer method is adopted?
· Can wiki be thrown open to all students and let them write and design the wiki pages of their own? What could be possible scenario that may evolve?
· How do you think collaborating with students of different cultures could be a learning experience for your students?
· Some schools may be in time zone which is opposite to yours. How do you plan to collaborate with students of such schools?
· Do you think that English comprehension is that important when collaborating with international schools or still it’s possible to collaborate under your supervision?
· How do you plan to overcome the problem of language?
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On the wall facing her bed, and immediately above a velvet-covered prie-dieu, there was a small figure of the Virgin and Child—one of those quaintly pretty devices for holding holy water, which the reverent superstition of the past century rendered a necessary adjunct of every girl’s room.
In front of the figure a small lamp was kept perpetually burning. This Juliette now took between her fingers, carefully, lest the tiny flame should die out. First she poured the oil over the fragments of paper in the ash-pan, then with the wick she set fire to the whole compromising correspondence.
The oil helped the paper to burn quickly; the smell, or perhaps the presence of Juliette in the room caused worthy old Petronelle to wake.
“It’s nothing, Petronelle,” said Juliette quietly; “only a few old letters I am burning. But I want to be alone for a few moments—will you go down to the kitchen until I call you?”
Accustomed to do as her young mistress commanded, Petronelle rose without a word.
“I have finished putting away your few things, my jewel. There, there! why didn’t you tell me to burn your papers for you? You have soiled your dear hands, and...”
“Sh! Sh! Petronelle!” said Juliette impatiently, and gently pushing the garrulous old woman towards the door. “Run to the kitchen now quickly, and don’t come out of it until I call you. And, Petronelle,” she added, “you will see soldiers about the house perhaps.”
“Soldiers! The good God have mercy!”
“Don’t be frightened, Petronelle. But they may ask you questions.”
“Yes; about me.”
“My treasure, my jewel,” exclaimed Petronelle in alarm, “have those devils...?”
“No, no; nothing has happened as yet, but, you know, in these times there is always danger.”
“Good God! Holy Mary! Mother of God!”
“Nothing ’ll happen if you try to keep quite calm and do exactly as I tell you. Go to the kitchen, and wait there until I call you. If the soldiers come in and question you, if they try to frighten you, remember that we have nothing to fear from men, and that our lives are in God’s keeping.”
All the while that Juliette spoke, she was watching the heap of paper being gradually reduced to ashes. She tried to fan the flames as best she could, but some of the correspondence was on tough paper, and was slow in being consumed. Petronelle, tearful but obedient, prepared to leave the room. She was overawed by her mistress’ air of aloofness, the pale face rendered ethereally beautiful by the sufferings she had gone through. The eyes glowed large and magnetic, as if in presence of spiritual visions beyond mortal ken; the golden hair looked like a saintly halo above the white, immaculate young brow.
Petronelle made the sign of the cross, as if she were in the presence of a saint.
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JACKSON, MI – More students than ever participated in this spring's session of the Fitness Council of Jackson's Girl Quest & Boy Quest program.
And interest in the program that's aimed at boosting fitness and self-esteem in third- through seventh-graders continues to grow, said Jennie Lapp, its coordinator.
A campaign has begun on the internet crowdfunding site GoFundMe to help schools pay for the 10-week after-school program, which is free to the children who participate.
Girl Quest & Boy Quest began in 2000. The nonprofit program focuses on health, fitness, mentoring, positive self-image and life skills. As part of the program, children train for and participate in a 5K race.
Fifteen teams made up of 175 children and adults participated from Northeast, Dibble, McCulloch, Ezra Eby, Keicher, Northwest, Springport and Western schools, as well as Hillsdale's Will Carleton Academy participated in this spring's session, which ended in early May.
A new fall session will run from Sept. 15 through Nov. 21.
Program participants get free shoes, two after-school sessions a week for 10 weeks, a T-shirt and entry into the 5K run and another shorter training run event.
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What if you could store your data in the cloud and run complex queries and analytics on it where it resides, without moving it? That's the question high-performance cloud infrastructure and big data analytics specialist Joyent looks to answer with its new Joyent Manta Storage Service.
Manta is a next-generation cloud object store and data services platform designed to bring compute and analysis capabilities directly to customers' data in the cloud.
"The killer app for the personal computer was the spreadsheet," says Bryan Cantrill, vice president of Engineering at Joyent, who has spent the past three years immersed in the creation of Manta. "That was the killer app because it represented the convergence of data and compute. It allowed business folks to run that data on their desks, and they didn't need a time-sharing program to do that."
Cloud storage, he says, brought together two other pillars of technology--data and the network--and combined them. Now, Manta goes a step further, Cantrill says.
Is Manta the Spreadsheet of the Cloud?
"I believe Manta represents the spreadsheet of cloud computing," Cantrill says. "It opens up vistas of ad hoc analysis of unstructured data. What we're doing is converging compute with data with the network. We're converging all three of those into a single facility. This is the holy trinity of compute, network and data unified into a single offering."
By removing the need to manage infrastructure and move data, Cantrill says Manta gives enterprises the capability to process big data faster and more easily, all while keeping it secure and at prices on par with Amazon.
"You really can't bring a product to market that is not going to be competitive on price," he says. "We think there's more to cloud computing than just price, but it's simply a non-starter to overprice a product. You'll pay S3 prices for the storage, and you pay what are effectively EC2 or Joyent Infrastructure as a Service prices for any compute you spin up on your data. You may spin up for a second or two seconds or three seconds. If so, you just pay for one or two or three seconds of compute."
For instance, he says, maybe you want to run periodic validation checks on your backups. It's typically not done because it would mean dragging all your backups back to compute. But, he says, it becomes trivially easy to do such validation tests with Manta--you just have to spin up compute on the backups where they reside for a few microseconds.
Manta gives you the capability to execute compute tasks including log analysis, search index generation, financial analysis and other data-intensive tasks without moving data or setting up compute clusters and processing software. Cantrill explains that code is brought in parallel to physical servers in secure containers while data is automatically merged using the industry-standard MapReduce pattern.
Eliminating Need to Copy Data from Storage to Compute Clusters
Copying data across a network from storage onto a compute cluster can take hours," says Konstantin Gredeskoul, CTO of online shopping community Wanelo.
"Joyent Manta Storage Service strips the need to invest any time moving the data around, making ad hoc querying and analysis near-instantaneous, seamless and cost effective. We are now able to perform complex cohort analysis and retention reports across hundreds of gigabytes of data in a couple of minutes. When compared to traditional methods such as data warehousing, this is game changing," Gredeskoul says.
"Fifty percent of the world's smartphone traffic goes through Ericsson, and we are continuously evaluating new technologies to increase the ability of the network to manage growing data volumes in the most responsive, secure, cost effective ways possible," adds Vish Nandlall, Ph.D., CTO and head of Strategy and Marketing for Ericsson North America. "Joyent's new compute-on-storage innovation is a fundamental paradigm shift that changes the economics and utility of object storage and high-performance big data analysis."
The Joyent Manta Storage Service provides the following:
A multi-datacenter object store with fine-grained replication controls.
No object size limits.
Strongly consistent writes and highly available reads.
Per-object replication policies.
A file system-like namespace, including directory queries.
Manta Derives Its Capabilities from OS-Level Virtualization
Cantrill notes that Joyent achieves these capabilities by focusing its efforts on OS-level virtualization instead of hardware virtualization. OS virtualization gives Joyent the power to spin up compute on the objects in the Internet-facing object store where the objects live.
"Virtual hardware is great if you need to support a legacy operating system," he says. "But if you want to deliver the highest-performance experience, you shouldn't virtualize hardware, you should virtualize the operating system. The application runs directly on the hardware but in a secure and containerized way."
"You bring your analytics tools to the cloud, effectively, he adds. "You can run whatever you want on top of your data--Java, Python, Perl or just a Unix Shell. If you've got your own analytics tools that are using R or what have you, you can bring whatever analysis software you've got, effectively, and you can push into the cloud and run it where your data is."
Joyent has partnered with data storage management company Panzura to help customers securely migrate their data from existing NAS, backup and archive storage to Manta.
Thor Olavsrud covers IT Security, Big Data, Open Source, Microsoft Tools and Servers for CIO.com. Follow Thor on Twitter @ThorOlavsrud. Follow everything from CIO.com on Twitter @CIOonline, Facebook, Google + and LinkedIn. Email Thor at email@example.com
This story, "Big data analytics moves to the cloud" was originally published by CIO.
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Euclid was a Greek mathematician who developed a theorem that was later named in his honor as the Euclidean Algorithm. He developed a version of the fundamental theorem of arithmetic, and he showed that no finite collection of primes contains them all.
Euclid wrote "Elements," a collection of 13 books comprised of geometrical theorems. The "Elements" defined the mathematical terms number, prime number, composite and perfect number. Euclid proved a sequence of theorems that marks the beginning of number theory as a mathematical endeavor versus a numerological one. Euclid's third contribution remains one of the most elegant proofs in mathematics.
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I finally got around to reading Virginia Postrel's April 6th, 2007 BusinessWeek article entitled Doing It Yourself. It is an interesting read in light of some change occurring within my workplace, an academic library.
We are probably not the only library IT shop that has a web design team that performs work for outside departments for a fee. Those fees recovers the salaries of the development and design staff. Over the years, our developers have created many design templates as well as a very handy tool set which has facilitate web development and eliminated the need for most content managers to know anything about HTML. Skills developers are required since the underlying infrastructure uses Cold Fusion.
There have also been discussions about the local deployment of an enterprise content management (ECM) system and of the UM.Sitemaker solutions. Both of these tools can create basic web sites and are poised to disrupt the current web design group's business model. These potentially disruptive technologies are generally being discounted by developers, who tend assert that without their specialized skills good design is not possible.
The reality is that these days the tools are cheaper, more powerful, and easily found online that as Ms. Postrel puts it, "permit customization, Build-a-Bear style" that "lets amateurs recombine predesigned modules to produce professional, or semi-professional, results." With these tools many libraries may no longer need to work with developers designers to create basic web portals and will likely suffice for much of the web portal design work which has been historically done by developers.
Designers should not react in fear that we will stop needing their skills. There will always be a need for skilled designers and developers. As Ms. Postrel points out "To fear that shoddy DIY work will replace good professional design is to suggest that the two are indistinguishable to the untrained eye." Still, these new tools will likely require library developers to refocus their energies on creating web applications that supplement and enhance web portals rather than building out the portals themselves.
Sphere: Related Content
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According to a recent report by Fitch, the insurance industry is underreserved by about $2 to $5 billion for latent exposures. According to the report, Fitch’s estimate is “based on the belief that the industry does not fare well in its ability to predict new major latent loss exposures—making it likely that prior underwriting years will develop unfavorably.”
Charlie Kingdollar, vice president and Emerging Issues officer for GenRe, who presented on the subject earlier this month at the Privacy XChange Forum in Paradise Valley, Ariz., said that there are many emerging issues to watch. With respect to privacy, insurers will likely see issues involving cyber attacks, nanotechnology and self-driving cars. Other areas to watch include sexting, cyber bullying and cyber security breaches.
A commercial general liability (CGL) or commercial umbrella policy could add cyber coverage for little to no underwriting and for little to no premium, Kingdollar said. On a homeowners’ policy, cyber coverage may cost a couple of hundred dollars, he said.
And though the internet has exploded with gripe sites, weblogs and chat rooms, Kingdollar said there hasn’t been much change in underwriting guidelines. The GenRe executive outlined these growing exposures:
- Gripe sites – Created to criticize a product, service or company.
- Weblogs – In 2003 there were approximately 100,000 blogs. In 2012, there were an estimated 152 million to 1 billion blogs.
- Chat rooms also known as message boards.
- Texts and tweets.
Social media liability exposure has generated new questions: Do updates equal number of occurrences? Is each text and tweet a separate occurrence? Another concern is whether the risk grows when posting on someone else’s blog or site, like Angie’s List.
The basic homeowners’ policy provides no personal injury coverage, though it can be endorsed. It is triggered “per offense” though he noted that offense is not defined.
A personal umbrella policy will provide personal injury coverage. The definition of personal injury includes libel, product disparagement and written publication.
Regardless of the line of coverage, litigating these types of claims can be expensive. Allegations can include allegations of trademark infringement, libel, trade secrets and defamation. He said the average award on the personal lines is $1.75M, while on the commercial side the average award is around $3.5M.
“For an exposure that we really don’t write,” Kingdollar said.
Kingdollar said the majority of insurers are ignoring this potentially costly exposure. In addition, these cases are so new that the average defense cost per case is still unknown.
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I know this is a scary and well, uncomfortable subject, but let’s talk anyway. Ask any health professional in the trenches, they’d tell you we need to have a public conversation about sexually transmitted disease (STD).
STDs may seem like a highly personal, impolite, in-your-face subject, especially with the social stigma that surrounds it, but the truth is they’re really common.
Every year nearly 20 million new STDs — sometimes called venereal disease or sexually transmitted infections (STIs) — occur in the United States.
In fact, you might be shocked to learn the United States has the highest STD rates in the industrialized world, according to the National Prevention Information Network.
Roughly half of all new cases are in teens and young adults, ages 15-24, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data.
This age group accounts for 75 percent of all reported gonorrhea infection rates, yet account for only 25 percent of the sexually experienced population.
Teen girls ages 15 to 19 and 20 to 24-year-old men have the highest reported cases of chlamydia too, while 20 to 24-year-old women and men have the highest reported syphilis rates . Syphilis rates have been significantly increasing since 2002, the CDC reports.
The CDC estimates there are more than 110 million new and existing STIs among U.S. men and women. STDs cost the U.S. health care system $17 billion every year — and cost individuals even more in immediate and life-long health consequences. STDs can even devastate whole communities.
The scariest thing about STDs might well be that most people don’t know they have them. Not all STDs have outward signs or make you feel sick, so you might pass them along to your sexual partner or partners unknowingly — and they might pass them to you.
When it comes to STDs, what you don’t know can hurt you. Not talking about STDs definitely won’t make them go away.
But there's good news. Getting informed and taking action can prevent most STDs from happening in the first place.
We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.
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Know how to use "fewer" and "less"? Find out.
late 14c., from Old French confesser (transitive and intransitive), from Vulgar Latin *confessare, from Latin confess-, past participle stem of confiteri "to acknowledge," from com- "together" (see com-) + fateri "to admit," akin to fari "speak" (see fame (n.)).
Its original religious sense was of one who avows his religion in spite of persecution or danger but does not suffer martyrdom. Old French confesser thus had a figurative sense of "to harm, hurt, make suffer." Related: Confessed; confessing. An Old English word for it was andettan.
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Massachusetts’ 2013 Health Report Card Released
The grades go far beyond our hospitals and doctors.
Massachusetts is constantly in it the spotlight for its top-notch hospitals and doctors. But what if our people were in such good health they didn’t¬†need¬†great medical care? That’s what the Healthy People/Healthy Economy coalition wants to know.
The goal of the coalition, founded in 2010 by the Boston Foundation and New England Healthcare Institute, is, as they put it, “shifting our state’s focus from ‘health care’ to ‘health’ and making Massachusetts the national leader in health and wellness.” So starting in 2011, the group has released an annual report grading how well the Commonwealth is doing in a variety of health categories. The 2013 report was just released, and the results are mixed.
We did well in a number of categories, like biking and walking (B, which actually seems a little low to us), farmers’ markets (B+), primary care (B+), school-based BMI reporting (A-), and healthy school meals (B).
But the report raises some issues that we need to work on, too. Our trans fat policy got a D; sugar-sweetened beverage policy got an F. Youth physical activity got a surprisingly-low C, and public health funding got a just-slightly-better-than-last-year D. Beyond those categories, the report’s authors set aside “High-quality Early Childhood Education”, which has been shown to improve an individual’s health later in life, and “Zoning and Licensing that Promotes Active Living and Access to Healthy Food” as two major things to try to improve.
While these kinds of health rankings and reports are everywhere and can only tell you so much, we think this one is interesting. Of course it’s great to have some of the best hospitals in the country right here in Boston, and it’s inspiring to see so much medical research happening all around us. But it’s always easier to prevent health problems than to treat them, and this report seems like a valuable tool in figuring out how to do just that.
Source URL: http://www.bostonmagazine.com/health/blog/2013/06/20/massachusetts-health-rankings/
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'Pow-Wow' Tensile Fabric Shade Sail at St. Helens School, Bristol
At 5m x 5m and set just off the playground this permanent shade sail provides an outdoor covered teaching area whilst shading those underneath and blocking harmful UV rays.
The pressure treated timber masts should last in excess of ten years and blend well into the woodland setting.
Installation took just one day. Tensile Solutions also installed the foundations for this structure.
This entry was posted on 02 September 2011 at 11:32 and is filed under Installation.
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- 06/09/2013 - Lion Creature Canopy 'Roars' into Priors Court School, Thatcham
- 18/08/2013 - Spindrift for Fenmarc Produce, Cambridgeshire
- 01/08/2013 - Ladybird Creature Canopy installed at Kingswood School, Bath
- 16/07/2013 - RHS Gold Medal Winner! Spindrift at Tatton Park Flower Show 2013
- 14/07/2013 - Bespoke Double Hypar Canopy in Hertfordshire
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|Home > Technology > IT News > Article|
He said the closed trial lasted only a day and diplomats who had formally sought to attend were refused entry. Dr Son was charged with espionage and sentenced under Article 80 of the Vietnam Criminal Code.
"Dr Son is now serving a long prison sentence solely for the peaceful exercise of his fundamental rights to freedom of expression," Thirgood said.
Amnesty said the indictment which detailed Dr Son's alleged "crimes," named other dissidents in Vietnam and Vietnamese in exile, with whom he had email contact and shared information.
"This is a worrying indication of just how closely the Vietnamese authorities monitored his private email and access to the internet," Thirgood said.
"Dr Son has not advocated violence or the overthrow of the Vietnamese government, neither has he passed on state secrets. He is an advocate of democracy, peaceful political change and human rights."
Thirgood said that Dr Son was a prisoner of conscience who should be immediately and unconditionally released. "This is yet another outrageous example of Vietnam using loosely-worded national security legislation to criminalise activities which are regarded as perfectly legal under international law and in most countries of the world," he said.
Amnesty said at least five other prominent dissidents were in jail and awaiting trial, including the respected military historian Pham Que Duong and Professor Tran Khue who were arrested in December last year. Both face charges of espionage under Article 80 of the Vietnam Criminal Code.
Dr Nguyen Dan Que, a prisoner of conscience for 18 years before his release from detention in 1998, was re-arrested in March and is detained without charge.
Last month Amnesty International Australia started a campaign to free imprisoned dissident, Le Chi Quang. Over 4000 Australians signed a petition calling for his release.
Thirgood said action to seek Dr Son's release would be launched early next week.
More on technology
Seven secrets to judging a computer book
The brave new world of software sharing over the internet
Decision maker - Senator Richard Alston
More researchers criticise OIS security draft
Amnesty blasts Vietnam for jailing net dissident
The eye of the receiver
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Copyright © 2003 The Age Company Ltd.
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Set up a specific area for playful maths investigations at home or in the classroom, to encourage plenty of open-ended play and self-directed learning with a range of inviting materials.
This post is part of an ongoing series called Exploring Reggio, in which we
Continue reading Maths Investigation Area for Open-Ended Learning
I’m thrilled to be starting a new bi-monthly series with some talented fellow-bloggers, about Reggio Emilia, a much-loved educational theory. Many proponents of play-based learning and child-centred educators may discover that Reggio principles are already at the core of so much of what we do when aiding children in their individual learning journeys. I can’t wait for
Continue reading Exploring Reggio: An Introduction
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Cover array string reconstruction
MetadataShow full item record
A proper fact or u of a string y is a cover of y if every letter of y is within some occurrence of u in y. The concept generalises the notion of periods of a string. An integer array C is the minimal-cover (resp. maximal-cover) array of y if C[i] is the minimal (resp. maximal) length of covers of y[0 ..i], or zero if no cover exists. In this paper, we present a constructive algorithm checking the validity of an array as a minimal-cover or maximal-cover array of some string. When the array is valid, the algorithm produces a string over an unbounded alphabet whose cover array is the input array. All algorithms run in linear time due to an interesting combinatorial property of coverarrays: the sum of important values in a cover array is bounded by twice the length of the string.
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
Iliopoulos, Costas; Mohamed, M.; Smyth, William (2011)The k-covers problem (kCP) asks us to compute a minimum cardinality set of strings of given length k > 1 that covers a given string. It was shown in a recent paper, by reduction to 3-SAT, that the k-covers problem is ...
Crochemore, M.; Iliopoulos, Costas; Kubica, M.; Rytter, W.; Walen, T. (2010)Su?x arrays provide a powerful data structure to solve several questions related to the structure of all the factors of a string. We show how they can be used to compute e?ciently two new tables storing di?erent types of ...
Puglisi, Simon; Smyth, William; Yusufu, M. (2010)Given a string x = x[1..n] on an alphabet of size α, and a threshold p min ≥ 1, we describe four variants of an algorithm PSY1 that, using a suffix array, computes all the complete nonextendible repeats in x of length p ...
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How to couple electrochemical model of a cell with simscape "battery" for battery pack modelling modelling?
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Chaitanya Singh on 28 Jan 2023
Commented: Chaitanya Singh on 16 Feb 2023
I have simulated a single cell with the electrochemical model (P2D/DFN) of a cell. I wish to use the model for simultaneously simulating all cells of an entire battery pack. I could either go for programming the circuit manually, or using the simscape to couple the results for each cell into a simulink circuit. Is there any references I could go through to help me with either of these methods? Because I couldn't seem to find it myself. Research papers do not really make it very clear how the programming needs to be handled.
Joel Van Sickel on 16 Feb 2023
It should be easier to go the Simulink path. The challenge you will have it is interfacing it with a Simscape Network. You will likely implement each cell as a voltage controlled current source. So the model will take a current as an input, and output it's voltage for the next time step. You can also have other inputs and outputs such as thermal data. This will be easiest if you can model at least some of the terminal resistance in Simscape instead of your P2D/DFN network but I'm not sure if you'll have that information. You can use a variable resistor so that it changes over time. There is also the issue of how to call the electrochemcial model from Simulink. One way is to use a matlab function in Simulink to call your model. If your model happens to be in c/c++, an FMI/FMU implementation, or have an s function implementation, you could also put it directly into Simulink.
Hopefully that gives you a little bit of an idea on how to start. Please feel free to add follow up questions as you try and move forward.
If you need some free training on the Simulink and Simscape models, please use this:
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Spring is coming early in 3/4 of national parks, according to a new study. Awesome? Not so much. As flowers bloom earlier every year, it’s disrupting the link between the wildflowers and the arrival of birds, bees, and butterflies that feed on and pollinate the flowers. In Shenandoah, an earlier spring is giving invasive plants a head start, and they’re displacing native wildflowers, leading to costly management issues.
Before the 1960s almost everything about living openly as a lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) person was illegal. New York City laws against homosexual activities were particularly harsh. The Stonewall Uprising on June 28, 1969 is a milestone in the quest for LGBT civil rights and provided momentum for a movement.
Vine Creek Ranch at Death Valley National Park. Steady drought and record summer heat make Death Valley a land of extremes. Towering peaks are frosted with winter snow. Rare rainstorms bring vast fields of wildflowers. Lush oases harbor tiny fish and refuge for wildlife and humans. Despite its morbid name, a great diversity of life survives in Death Valley.
Located 2,600 miles southwest of Hawaii, the National Park of American Samoa is the most remote unit of the National Park System and the U.S. National Park south of the Equator. The Park spreads across three islands, 9,500 acres of tropical rainforest, and 4,000 acres of ocean, including coral reefs. While remote, the islands of American Samoa, true to the meaning of the word Samoa (Islands of Sacred Earth), are welcoming and offer beautiful landscapes and centuries of culture and history.
DOINews: Interior Announces New 2013 Research Projects at the Alaska Climate Science Center
Last edited 4/26/2016
Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell announced today that the Alaska Climate Science Center will share more than $130,000 with the Northwest CSC and North Pacific LCC for research to assist Native groups in planning for and adapting to climate change.
The funded studies will focus on how climate change will affect natural and cultural resources, and management actions that can be taken to help offset such change. In addition, these studies also document the Center's priority on entering collaborative partnerships – such as these -- that help leverage limited resources and address shared priorities among different climate science centers.
Alaska-region focused projects include:
Researchers, working with the Chugachmiut tribal consortium, will develop a model that predicts where subsistence berry plants will be most resistant to recent moth outbreaks that are decimating berry harvests in south-central Alaska. The Native people of this region rely heavily on gathered food for sustenance and nourishment, but the recent outbreaks of geometrid moths may be linked to climate change; tribal elders and scientific records document that such outbreaks have not occurred in the area before.
Identifying climate vulnerabilities of eulachon, a highly nutritious smelt that is culturally significant to peoples of the Tlingit Nation in Southeast Alaska. The project will conduct a climate change vulnerability assessment and adaptation plan for eulachon in the Chilkoot and Chilkat rivers near Haines, Alaska. A tribal group will analyze these climate change projections, apply traditional knowledge, rank climate vulnerabilities and prioritize adaptation strategies. This project's results will be valuable to Native communities throughout the region.
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> Home > Government > Department Directory > Probation > FAQs > Why can't Juvenile Home staff handle probation issues and questions?
Why can't Juvenile Home staff handle probation issues and questions?
Although Juvenile Home staff are under the direct control of the Chief Probation Officer and the facility is a division of the Probation Department, statutes clearly define their duties. Specifically, juvenile correctional officers and Juvenile Home staff are in charge of the custody, security and control of offenders detained within the facility. Current law mandates that probation officers handle most casework issues that are related to offenders that are detained within the Juvenile Home. DO NOT contact juvenile correctional officers on holidays or weekends in an attempt to resolve probation (supervision) issues.
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Bhagat Namadev Ji - Praise and Slander
Bhagat (Saint) Namdev Ji had a renunciatory nature, an attitude of non-attachment with the world. So he decided to give good and pure education to children. He decided to impart spiritual education to children because it is the best education. Therefore, at a young age, children were sent to him for receiving education.
A seth (rich man) decided to send his son to him for education, thinking that if the child remained with the holy men in the early years, he would be saved from falling a prey to sinful sensual pleasures. He (the rich man) thought that on growing up, the child would no doubt become a business man like him, but it would be good for him to gain spiritual knowledge and understanding in the company of the holy man. So he took the child to Saint Namdev but to show off the family's superior status and wealth, his wife made the child put on neckalce, bracelets and other ornaments.
He said to the saint, "Sir, take charge of the child. Accept him in your service and give him some knowledge and understanding." Saint Namedev Ji said, "Rich man, don't worry. Leave him here. There are other children also. Seeing them, he too will be influenced."
In the evening, when Saint Namdev Ji told the children to go home, he observed and thought, "The richman's son is rather small, but he is wearing so many ornaments. If some thief happens to kidnap him for the ornaments, he will strangulate him. The rich man does not seem to appreciate this. But I don't have any arrangements to send an escort with him." So he thought it better to remove his ornaments. He removed the ornaments and kept them tied in a small bundle and the child went home.
When he reached home, and his mother saw his ornaments missing, she asked him, "Where are your ornaments?" He said that the saint had removed them. At this she observed, "Such an evil saint? Now he won't return the ornaments." She was of a hasty and impatient nature. If she were thoughtful, she would have said, "There must be something behind the saint's action, because holy men are not of this type." But she immediately jumped to the conclusion that since the saint had removed the ornaments, he would not return them. She thought that the saint's nature was like hers, because we often try to judge others with our own spectacles. So, her nature was such that she got agitated at once when she found the ornaments missing. She did not wait, and went to her neighbour, and said —
"Look sister! People talk so much about Namdev; they call him a saint, a devotee of God : but he is a cheat, nothing else."
"What has happened to you?"
"Nothing has happened. But I have seen the reality. I sent my child decked with ornaments. Look here, he has left not a single ornament on the child. He has removed even the ring from his (child's) little finger."
"Don't worry. Inquire about it tomorrow in the morning."
"Now he is not going to return. One, who has removed the oranaments, will not return them now. He will say that somebody must have removed them on the way."
The neighbouring woman too was of an impatient and rash nature. She talked about it to another neighbour. So in this manner, the news travelled everywhere in the town by the time it was evening.
In the meantime, the rich man returned home. She said to him —
"What good — you have sent the child to Namdev for getting education! He has removed all his ornaments."
"It is not possible. Namdev Ji is a saint, a holy man."
"You may continue considering him a holy man, but I am telling you what I have seen with my own eyes."
"Then why are you feeling impatient?
We shall talk about it in the morning." "No; he is not going to return them? You are a fool, a simpleton."
Next day, the richman went to Namdev Ji. After greeting him, he sat down — the child was with him. Namdev Ji observed, "Richman, don't send the child wearing ornaments. You should know that money and ornaments spell danger to the child's life. They are enemies of his life. Somebody may kidnap him and strangulate him. Here is the bundle containing ornaments." The rich man was very much pleased, but he also felt sad that his wife had defamed the holy man all over the town. The news will ultimately reach the holy man too and he will certainly take it ill. Hurriedly, he came home and said to his wife.
"You have done a very wrong thing. He has, in fact, saved the child's life by removing his ornaments."
Instantly, thinking that her neighbour might not have conveyed her observations (about the holy man) to others, she went to her and said, "He (Saint Namdev) is a very noble person. He has, in fact, saved the life of my son. I needlessly got angry and acted in a hurry."
The other woman went to her neighbour and conveyed this thing. Soon it came to be talked all over the town — Namdev Ji is a very good and noble person. He had removed the ornaments of the rich man's son in order to save his life from possible kidnappers and killers.
Next day, an attendant or devotee of Namdev Ji said to him — "O holy man! I am surprised; the world has a double face." "What is the matter?" "Day before yesterday, you were badly caluminated. There was not a single person who did not speak ill of you. We felt very much pained and unhappy. But today, you are being praised everywhere." "Why?" "You might have removed a child's ornaments lest they should be stolen by thieves. Everywhere people said that the holy man had removed all the ornaments of a child." If there is anything against holy men, it spreads in a moment like wildfire; it seems as if the people are always on the look out for such an opportunity. Even if it is a minor thing, you do not need any advertisement to propagate it. It spreads far and wide. The news or rumour spreads without feet or wings and without having been witnessed. A good thing does not go round that fast.
So he said, "Today, you are being praised. Those who had slandered you are today saying with their own tongue – Namdev Ji is a very noble person and he had removed the child's ornaments for his own safety."
Namdev Ji was sitting in a carefree mood. Before him was lying ash. He took it in his two hands. One handful he threw on one side saying — let it fall on the heads of slanderers; the other, he threw on the other side saying — let it fall on the heads of those who are praising me. His attendant said — But they are showering praises on you? The holy man said,
"None in the world praises truly. If they were to praise, why did they slander? This whole world is double-faced."
Therefore, Guru Sahib says, "Neither be delighted at praise, nor be annoyed at calumny(slander/defamation). Rather, be delighted at calumny, and not at praise, because, the Guru's edict is —
'He who caluminates me is my friend'. (Guru Granth Sahib. 339)
He who speaks ill of us is our wellwisher, but not the one who praises us. He who showers praises on us spoils us or harms us, and makes us self-conceited or egoistic. Then, if someone doesn't show full respect and honour, we become annoyed. So Guru Sahib says :
'Who indifferently receives praise and calumny, And seeks alone the state sublime of transcendence, Saith Nanak, servant of God: Hard is this way of life — Only by the holy Preceptor's guidance may its secret be mastered.'
'He, who is above praise and calumny, and to whom gold and iron are alike.
Says Nanak, hearken thou, O man, deem thou him to be emancipated'
(Guru Granth Sahib. 1426)
'He, who is free from joy and sorrow, call him, thou, a true Yogi.' (Guru Granth Sahib. 685)
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Principles On Drawing
( Originally Published 1920 )
BY MADAME L. B. URBINO AND HENRY DAY,
Joint Authors of "Art Recreations."
A PERFECT muscular control of the hand is of the first importance in drawing, as accuracy of outline and delicacy of expression can only be obtained by having the fingers in complete subjection to the will, so that the slightest volition will be properly interpreted by the pencil. This requisite facility in the use of the pencil or brush can be acquired only by patient practice, the length of time necessary for its attainment being in some degree dependent upon the natural ability, taste, or "genius" of the learner. Of equal importance, and as absolutely indispensable, is correctness of eye in determining distances and measurements-an attainment which can be carried to a wonderful degree of perfection. Thorough practice in making straight and curved lines demands the first attention of the. beginner. Use a pencil of medium softness, well sharpened, and hold it very lightly. Commence with short horizontal lines, gradually increasing the length, making the line in a distinct, bold and rapid manner, first from left to right, and then vice versa.
Next, draw straight lines touching each other at different angles, then perpendicular lines. Too much practice cannot be given to these lines, and the difficulties at first experienced in drawing straight, continuous lines will gradually diminish. When these right-lines, horizontal, perpendicular, and at various angles, can be drawn with accuracy and with freedom of pencil, then practice a combination of them all. Combinations will suggest themselves to the inventive mind, and the learner will be astonished in his practice in finding what a variety of forms and almost endless variations can be produced from straight lines. It may be well to copy some figures composed of straight lines; but the best method is to draw from the storehouse of your own invention, taxing the mind for new combinations, and thus adopting one of the surest means of success. The power to originate, as well as to imitate, is necessary to make the true artist.
Having attained a degree of proficiency in straight lines, the next step is the curve, with all its variations. Commence by drawing a horizontal line, connecting the ends by arches of different altitudes, then perpendicular lines, connecting the ends by arches in the same manner.
In each of these cases, the straight lines form a basis by which to determine with more accuracy the true sweep of the arch curves; and all irregular forms can best be determined by their relative positions to straight lines. A practiced eye will soon learn to detect right-lines in all things, and thus have an unerring standard.
Now draw straight lines, and divide them into equal parts, testing the accuracy of your eye by the compasses, and practice this until the eye can measure with great accuracy. Then draw arches (without any base line) and divide them in the same manner. Forms of grace and beauty being dependent upon curved lines, great attention and practice should be given to them in the infinite variety in which they occur. Select simple curved forms, and having acquired some proficiency in making them, advance to those of a more difficult character. Vases, gob-lets, shells, and numerous other forms combining curved lines will readily occur to the mind.
It will now be found a good practice to draw straight and curved lines with their parallels, varying the spaces between the lines until the hand becomes steady and accurate in its motion and the eye deter-mines the equi-distances. Thorough practice in drawing these lines, and in dividing them at equi-distances, gives to the learner the whole alphabet of drawing. Too much attention cannot be given to the combinations of which these various lines are susceptible, and patience and diligence are indispenable requisites to success. All mistakes should be carefully corrected, not in imagination, but in reality, as thus the hand and eye gain experience. Fruit and flowers are interesting models from which to draw, and these can be followed by more complicated subjects.
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Whether occur to be new to online dating sites or a experienced, articles upon online dating are a helpful resource. These articles can give you information about how the process works, and tips to boost your experiences. You may also chance upon ethical and legal concerns.
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Some articles or blog posts focus on sociable, emotional, and psychological aspects of dating. Other articles give attention to public concerns.
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An English Catholic, executed during the reign of Queen Elizabeth, b. 1542 (?); d. 1583. He was the head of a family which had been prominent in Warwickshire for six centuries, having succeeded to the estates on the death of his grandfather, Thomas Arden, in 1563. In 1575 he was high sheriff of the county. His father, William Arden, was a second cousin of Mary Arden of Wilmcote, the mother of Shakespeare. In 1583, Arden was indicted in Warwick for plotting against the life of the Queen, as were also his wife, his son-in-law, John Somerville, and Father Hugh Hall, a chaplain whom he maintained in the disguise of a gardener at his home, Park Hall. Somerville, who was said to be weak-minded, was incensed over the wrongs of Mary, Queen of Scots, and openly uttered threats against Elizabeth. He was arrested and when put on the rack implicated the others in a conspiracy to assassinate the Queen. They were arrested and Arden was taken to London, where he was arraigned in the Guildhall, 16 December, 1583. He was convicted, chiefly on the evidence of Hall, and was executed at Smithfield, 30 December, 1583. Somerville, who was also condemned to die on the same day, was found strangled in his cell the day before Mrs. Arden and Hall were released. It is generally conceded that Arden was the innocent victim of a plot. He died protesting his innocence and declaring that his only crime was the profession of the Catholic religion. Dugdale, quoting from Camden's "Annals of Queen Elizabeth," attributes Arden's prosecution to the malice of Leicester, whose displeasure he had incurred by open criticism of the Earl's relations with the Countess of Essex before their marriage. He had further irritated Leicester by disdaining to wear his livery and by denouncing him as an upstart. It is supposed that Hall was suborned to involve Arden in the alleged plot.
HARRISON, in Dict. Nat. Biog., II, 74; GILLOW, Dict. Eng., Cath., I, 57.
APA citation. (1907). Edward Arden. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01700b.htm
MLA citation. "Edward Arden." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01700b.htm>.
Transcription. This article was transcribed for New Advent by John Fobian. In memory of Brian Hetterman.
Ecclesiastical approbation. Nihil Obstat. March 1, 1907. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.
Contact information. The editor of New Advent is Kevin Knight. My email address is webmaster at newadvent.org. Regrettably, I can't reply to every letter, but I greatly appreciate your feedback — especially notifications about typographical errors and inappropriate ads.
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Gov. Eddie Calvo signed the minimum wage bill into law this afternoon.
The bill will raise the island's minimum wage from $7.25 to $8.25 by January 1 next year.
The governor made a special address after the signing. Read the address below:
Hafa adai my fellow Guamanians,
In my state of the island address, I spoke with you about the growing economy. I asked businesses to invest in their employees as times got better. And I wasn't just talking about raising wages for the lowest earners. I asked employers to invest additional earnings on higher wages, training, and growth for all. It was a challenge to the private sector to focus growth on the employees. It was a challenge because I understand each business has its own story? its own share of problems and achievements. I wanted to inspire employers to raise wages by appealing to their sense of citizenship in a growing Guam.
Vice Speaker BJ Cruz responded to this challenge in a different way. He proposed a three-pronged increase to the minimum wage. The business community pushed back, telling us such a large increase will cause people to lose their jobs and companies to close down. No one wanted that to happen, so the Republican senators negotiated a compromise. The result is this bill before me now. With my signature, everyone making between $7.25 and $8.24 an hour will get a pay increase by January 1. It will set the new minimum wage at $8.25 an hour - a dollar more - 14% more - than it is today.
The compromise is reasonable. Both sides don't get everything they want, but many many people win because cooler heads prevailed. There was a great discussion about our economy that got outside investors to look at Guam. Greater emphasis was placed on education and skills and career training. Most importantly, the lowest wage earners will be getting a pay raise. That is meaningful to struggling families, especially with the growing price of gas and oil that is making everything so expensive. And that's why it's so important for the Legislature to pass Senator Aline Yamashita's companion bill. It requires an independent impact study that shows us whether things worked and where we should go after.
Before I sign this bill and authorize the minimum wage increase, it's important that we all recognize something. This is not the solution to the issue of higher wages. This only addresses the lowest wage earners. This does not help the single mother making $13 an hour trying to afford daycare for her kids. This does not help the young father struggling to support his family of four with a $35,000 salary.
I ask senators to display the same passion they gave to the minimum wage, to my education and training initiatives. Those are the solutions for higher wages. The more we invest in early childhood education, higher learning standards, and skills training, the higher wages will be for Guamanians. And the more we continue getting investment into Guam, more tourists, more road projects? the more jobs there will be. We're starting to see the results of our initiatives and greater college enrollment - private sector wages have been climbing naturally. Let's keep on this path.
Now, it's my great honor to sign the first local minimum wage increase since 2007, and the first increase since the 2009 federal change.
Congratulations to Guam's workers. And, thank you to Vice Speaker BJ Cruz for pushing this issue through.
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学科主题: Materials Science
题名: Effects of PbO insert layer on the microstructure and energy storage performance of (042)-preferred PLZT antiferroelectric thick films
作者: Wang Ying; Hao Xihong; Xu Jinbao
刊名: Journal of Materials Research
卷: 27, 13, 1770-1775
摘要: Two-micrometer-thick Pb0.97La0.02(Zr 0.98Ti0.02)O3 (PLZT) antiferroelectric films, with the addition of different PbO insert layer, were successfully fabricated on LaNiO3/Si substrates through a sol-gel method, and their microstructure and the energy storage performance were investigated in detail. X-ray diffraction curves and scanning electron microscopy images indicated that all the PLZT films showed a strong (042)-preferred orientation and had a uniform surface microstructure. The electrical measurements illustrated that the capacitive density and saturation polarization values of the thick films were improved by the PbO insert layer. As a result, PLZT thick films with 0.4-M/L PbO-insert layer possessed an enhanced energy storage density and energy storage efficiency, which were 25.2 J/cm 3 and 52.3% measured at 984 kV/cm, respectively. Moreover, after 10 6 switching, the Jreco values of the corresponding films were only declined from 17.5 to 16.1 J/cm 3, indicating good fatigue endurance. © 2012 Materials Research Society.
Appears in Collections: 新疆维吾尔自治区电子信息材料与器件重点实验室_期刊论文
File Name/ File Size
effects of pbo insert layer on the microstructure and energy storage performance of (042)-preferred plzt antiferroelectric thick films.pdf （593KB） 期刊论文 作者接受稿 开放获取
作者单位: Inner Mongolia Univ Sci & Technol, Sch Met & Mat, Baotou 014010, Peoples R China;Chinese Acad Sci, Xinjiang Key Lab Elect Informat Mat & Devices, Xinjiang Tech Inst Phys & Chem, Urumqi 830011, Peoples R China
Wang Ying,Hao Xihong,Xu Jinbao. Effects of PbO insert layer on the microstructure and energy storage performance of (042)-preferred PLZT antiferroelectric thick films[J]. Journal of Materials Research,2012,27(13):1770-1775.
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Two former military chiefs are calling for all shops to close on November 11 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the First World War ending.
Both Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday are on the same date this year, as November 11 falls on a Sunday. Sunday, November 11, 2018, will be mark exactly 100 years since the end of hostilities in the First World War. On that day in 1918, the Allies and Germany signed the armistice in Compiegne, France, which took effect on the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month".
A letter to the Times, signed by former head of the Army, General Lord Dannatt, and former first sea lord Admiral Lord West among others, read: "Marking as it does the centenary of the end of the First World War, we believe it would be right to mark it by ensuring that, as on Easter Day, all shops are closed that Sunday.
"We urge the Government to bring in the simple legislation necessary to ensure this very special act of remembrance in 2018."
Should all shops close to commemorate 100th anniversary of WW1 ending?
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The Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers has backed the proposals.
The United Kingdom will mark the 100th anniversary with a procession of 10,000 civilians past the Cenotaph on Remembrance Day, the Culture Secretary announced earlier this month.
The event - titled A Nation's Thank You - The People's Procession - will be followed by bell ringing by churches across the country to echo the actions of British citizens 100 years ago.
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5 years into GenX probe, new NC gov’t action plan unveiled
WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) — Five years after the state’s initial investigation of GenX turning up in the Cape Fear River, Gov. Roy Cooper and his environmental chief unveiled a three-pronged strategy Tuesday to address further efforts to reduce and remedy a broad category of “forever chemicals” in water sources.
Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Elizabeth Biser, who also chronicled state government’s efforts so far to address per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, said there remains more to do to protect human health and the environment.
“We’ve come a long way in the last few years in identifying these chemicals, stopping the polluters and charting a path forward,” Cooper said at a news conference in Wilmington near where the Cape Fear and Northeast Cape Fear rivers merge. “The challenge of PFAS is bigger than any one company or any one chemical.”
A state investigation that began in June 2017 found that The Chemours Co. had discharged a type of PFAS called GenX from its Fayetteville Works plant in Bladen County into the air, water and groundwater for years. GenX is used in the manufacturing of nonstick coatings and for other purposes.
Chemours said in 2017 that it would stop discharging the chemical into the Cape Fear River, the drinking water sources for several hundred thousand people in southeastern North Carolina, including Wilmington. But groundwater seepage means high PFAS levels are still showing up downstream and in private drinking wells. Public utility systems are upgrading their infrastructure to remove those high levels.
Studies have linked PFAS exposure to increased cancer risk, developmental delays in children and damage to organs such as the liver and thyroid, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
“We want to ensure that in the future, no community experiences what you have already been through, Biser said. “We are all working toward a common goal -- protecting North Carolinians and their access to clean drinking water.”
The state’s investigation led to a consent agreement finalized with Chemours in early 2019 that included a $12 million penalty, the sampling and replacement of drinking water supplies for private well users, and measures to reduce drastically air emissions and other PFAS pollution from leaving the plant.
The Department of Environmental Quality’s PFAS action plan focuses on identifying people across the state who may face a health risk from PFAS; proposals for setting groundwater, surface water and drinking water standards to avoid unnecessary human exposure; and setting remediation goals for contaminated sites that leads to “health-protective outcomes.”
Biser said the plan builds on past work and is designed to complement or supplement action that is expected on PFAS from the federal government, particularly thorough the Environmental Protection Agency. Last fall, EPA chief Michael Regan — Biser’s immediate predecessor at the Department of Environmental Quality — announced a road map to address PFAS nationwide, which also includes drinking water standards.
Biser and Cooper also both urged state lawmakers to pass proposed legislation debated last week that in part would require Chemours to pay for public water system improvements designed to remove the chemicals or reduce concentrations, not the ratepayers. Two Wilmington-area utilities have said they are spending roughly $150 million on aggregate improvements to address PFAS pollution.
Chemours said last week that the company has spent or committed to spend $400 million on improvements such as on-site emissions control technology at the plant and remediation. A 2020 lawsuit filed by Attorney General Josh Stein’s office seeking monetary damages for the state from the GenX releases is pending.
The story has been corrected to delete a reference to GenX being used in making fire suppression foams.
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Protesters scramble as police fire tear gas north of the Bahraini capital… (Mazen Mahdi / European Pressphoto…)
Nearly a year after Bahrain pledged to free political prisoners, investigate torture allegations and embark on other reforms, it has reneged on its promises, Amnesty International said in a scathing new report.
The human rights group excoriated the Persian Gulf island monarchy for ramping up repression in the year since an independent commission chronicled a long list of abuses during a crackdown on protests.
Last November, the government promised the commission's recommendations would be heeded. Officials heralded the creation of the commission as a major step toward reform to help unify the splintering nation.
Instead, Amnesty International said, “the groundbreaking report has been shelved by the spiraling repression in Bahrain,” including rampant police abuses, a sweeping ban on all protests, and stripping dozens of opposition figures of their citizenship. Many dissidents remain behind bars for actions that would not be recognized internationally as crimes, including calling for an “illegal gathering,” it said.
The United States, which sees Bahrain as a strategic ally in the region, has failed to back up its words of concern with action and is now at risk of enabling abuses, the human rights group said. Earlier this year, the U.S. loosened some of its restrictions on weapons sales to Bahrain, to the chagrin of local activists.
“It is now up to the Obama administration to make clear that it is unwilling to stand by and support continued repression,” said Suzanne Nossel, executive director of Amnesty International USA.
Bahrain called the report “a gross distortion of fact,” the McClatchy news service reported Tuesday. Officials say they are committed to carrying out the recommended reforms and have taken steps toward change, such as retraining police and dropping charges against hundreds of people.
Banning protests was necessary to maintain security, Bahraini officials said, pointing to violent and sometimes deadly attacks on police. Two officers recently died of injuries sustained during riots, the Bahraini government reported.
The government also emphasizes that police have been taken to court for abuses, including a group of officers charged this week after a video captured an incident. Amnesty International argued that the number of officers put on trial remained low compared with the number of reported abuses.
Raising similar worries as the human rights group, a senior U.S. State Department official told reporters Tuesday that the island nation had failed to deliver on reforms and had instead regressed, McClatchy reported. The official spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity.
Unrest has simmered in Bahrain for more than a year and a half, as dissidents push for greater democracy and more voice for Shiite Muslims in the Sunni monarchy. The ruling Khalifa family says protests have been stirred up by Iran. A string of deadly bomb blasts hit the nation's capital this month, fueling fears that the enduring conflict could be escalating.
Argentina strikes paralyze capital, other cities
Church of England votes against having female bishops
Former Mexico mayor survives 2 assassination attempts but not third
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The instincts that transhumans are born with, whether they are humans, human-based AGIs, or uplifts, are not not suited to the post-singulairty world they live in. To those who are willing, this problem can be solved. Their ancient but irrelevant instincts can be replaced with those designed to meet the world they now live in.
An instinct set is created in imitation of an effective AI. Neural networks are trained to perform sets of tasks in simulation. Once they have achieved acceptable levels of success, the networks are streamlined and the methods they have developed are analyzed. Ideally, the result is a breakdown of successful behaviors into sets of rules, and a neural network that follows those rules. These are the guidelines used during psychosurgery to wire new impulses and intuitions. Done correctly, someone who has never seen a gun in person will dive for cover instantly when fired upon, and day-traders will feel no reason to throw good money after bad.
Instinct sets can cover any topic that can be simulated, and range from "Game Theory in Politics" to "Freefall for Mud-Farmers" and "Surviving Exposure to Vacuum".
Most of the effects of an instinct sets should be roleplayed. Mechanically, they can be treated as re-fluffed skillsofts.
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